Kevin Pietersen has unloaded on the England cricket group within the wake of the Second Test and the Jonny Bairstow controversy.
Pietersen hasn’t been shy about providing his opinion in the course of the Ashes sequence, slamming the England bowlers after they wasted good situations on day one at Lord’s earlier than incomes a smack from Nathan Lyon for controversial feedback about concussion.
And now, maybe satirically, the 104-Test nice has informed the present outfit to cease speaking a lot.
“If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and this England cricket team isn’t walking the walk,” Pietersen wrote in a column for a betting company.
“They’re acting like they’re the greatest team around, but they’re currently on course to be the first England team to lose at home to Australia since 2001.
“After the first Test match, Ollie Robinson said that they felt like they won the game, Jimmy Anderson was complaining that the wicket was like kryptonite, and then you’ve got Zak Crawley saying they’re going to win the next one by 150 runs.
“Leading into Headingley, all of this needs to stop. The pressure that they’re putting themselves under by speaking that way and using that language is unnecessary. It’s not helping in any way, shape, or form.”
“I said a lot of things in my career, and I put myself under a lot of pressure, but I was able to walk the walk. England are not walking the walk,” Pietersen added.
If Pietersen’s message has been heard, it’s not been heeded.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum had lots to say of their post-match media appearances at Lord’s – and the identical outdated tune was sung as they talked about being in a “perfect” place down 2-0 within the sequence.
Then you had Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson penning columns for English newspapers, the place Broad continued his holier-than-thou judgment of the Australian group within the wake of the Bairstow stumping.
Almost two full days after Australia secured victory, Broad was nonetheless indulging himself on social media as the talk raged about whether or not Bairstow was unfairly handled.
This conceitedness has additionally crept in on the sector – and it’s costing the hosts big-time.
Ian Chappell was amazed by Bairstow’s actions when he was stumped by Alex Carey.
“When the ball goes past you, I would think the first thing you’ve got to do is look at the wicketkeeper,” Chappell informed WWOS.
But similar to Broad does when he fails to show to take a look at the umpire when he appeals – as an alternative charging down the pitch and celebrating wildly like the choice is a foregone conclusion – Bairstow additionally expects everybody else to observe his path.
The English wicket-keeper was primarily telling the fielding facet and the umpires the ball is lifeless once I’ve tapped my toe in my crease – as an alternative of taking a look at Carey to see what he was doing or ready for the umpire to name over.
Perhaps they’re doing it behind closed doorways however publicly there’s been little acknowledgment of the areas England really feel prefer it might enhance.
The Poms have conceded 60 extra extras than Australia and in accordance with BBC statistician Andy Zaltzman within the area have “missed 14 makeable-to-good opportunities, to Australia’s seven (including wickets off no-balls and unreferred lbw appeals that would have proved out)”.
Those deficits are greater than sufficient to swing the results of Test matches as tight as the primary two on this sequence.
Originally revealed as Kevin Pietersen squares off with England gamers in new Ashes twist
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
