When it comes to high maintenance, the maintenance and coddling demanded by the mercurial Kevin Pietersen can be high enough to induce vertigo.

After a fortnight in which we swooned over scullers and cyclists scaling Olympic peaks with humility, England's star batsman has reminded us how readily genius adopts Gloria Gaynor's hit I Am What I Am as a provocative personal anthem.

Pietersen's latest problem has arisen over texts he sent to friends in the South African team, in which he is said to have made disobliging remarks about his team-mates, notably Andrew Strauss, his captain.

Pietersen's refusal to apologise ("I am who I am, shooting from the hip") led to his being dropped from the England squad taking on South Africa.

This was a high profile fixture, not just because it was the showpiece match of the summer, or because it was Strauss's 100th Test, but also because it was a match that England had to win to retain its No 1 ranking.

Pietersen's tantrum rekindles the age-old dilemma of whether to indulge the bad behaviour of a George Best or a Carlos Tevez because, on those occasions when they play their part, they can transform their team's fortunes.

Yet, however great a player's talent, no individual is bigger than the team. Respecting your captain and standing shoulder to shoulder with colleagues is not only a matter of decency and discipline, but also the cornerstone of team solidarity and sporting success.

Nevertheless, to embark on so critical a match without Pietersen on board suggested a failure by the team's managers to manage a famously volatile talent.

It is not that principle should not trump pragmatism; it is that it is only as a result of matters being mishandled that such a choice arises.

Herbert Grimes