Birmingham: Former England captain Kevin Pietersen slammed current captain Ben Stokes for the way he batted in the first innings. India On the third day of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, it was said that it was careless batting and the left-hander had brain fed moments thrice in ten minutes.
Stokes was dismissed for 25 in England’s first innings on Sunday.
After being beaten by skipper Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami from either side of the wicket, Stokes opted to step up against the fast bowlers, scoring some runs in the process. He was relieved twice by dropping easy catches by Shardul Thakur and Bumrah.
On the very next ball after being dropped for the second time in the day, Stokes came out for a big shot off Thakur, only to be dismissed by Bumrah for a brilliant diving catch at mid-off for 25 runs at the crease. . His 66-run stand ended with Bairstow.
“I was watching Stokes running under the wicket and tossing the ball straight into the air. It was careless batting; It was not defending your wicket. Test matches are hundreds of valuables, they mean a lot because of stress, tension, patience and discipline. He had three brain feds in 10 minutes. It may not be a good thing to devalue his Test wicket. He is a great player to do that,” Peterson said during a lunch break on Sky Sports.
Jonny Bairstow, who was the overnight batsman with Stokes, also suffered a nervous play and several misses before adopting his aggressive self to make 13 off 60 balls at lunch to post an unbeaten 91 off 113 balls. Pietersen advised Stokes to take lessons from Bairstow’s batting, which has been a dominating display of timing and sheer power.
“I would tell Ben that he doesn’t need to be over-aggressive and try to prove a point. To get Stokes out, the bowler has to bowl at his best. Right now, I see Stokes running to the bowlers to gain authority. Trying to do it. When England are struggling they don’t need to do that. I would tell them to stay steady and do what Bairstow is doing. He is a very good player to do what he is doing. Is.”
Asked about England’s aggressive intent in the opening season since former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum took over as head coach, Pietersen remarked that Bairstow led England’s entertaining and aggressive path beautifully with the bat. are.
“It’s definitely a fresh approach and entertaining. Stokes has been talking about that aggressive nature and the way he believes Test cricket needs to be played in this era. But Bairstow is playing with control. He’s calm, and calm, standing still, and watching the ball play. He’s not running under the wicket, he’s being counted. There’s no slogging, he’s playing brilliantly.”
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