On Day 2 of the opening 2023 Ashes match on Saturday, June 17, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was taken aback by Steve Smith‘s defensive strategy. The 42-year-old described one of his leaves as being among the worst he had ever seen.
Smith left numerous deliveries by moving across the wickets, in case anyone missed the action. He took this action to annoy the bowlers and make them miss their lines and lengths, which would lead to mistakes.
Pietersen claimed that the Australian batter was unable to even see the ball, which struck him as odd. He continued by saying that Smith attempted to misdirect the bowlers throughout his innings but eventually succumbed to his own scheme.
After Steve Smith (16 runs off 59 balls) was caught lbw by England captain Ben Stokes as he attempted to cross the off-stump, a statement was made. Pietersen stated in a Sky Sports interview:
“This is the worst leave I’ve ever witnessed; it’s very dramatic. Due to the delivery, it will likely appear on one of those spot-the-ball contests in magazines and newspapers in the future. ”
He continued, analyzing Smith’s strategy:
“He had two leg slips, so yes, it wasn’t good. He was therefore bowling to his field, but the leave was quite interesting.”
“Although we’ve only seen a still image of the leave, I believe his technique is only intended to confuse the bowler. The Aussies refer to it as mental breakdown. ”
In response to Travis Head’s dismissal in the opening match of the 2023 Ashes, Kevin Pietersen says, “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but they’re not to be feared.
While analyzing Travis Head’s (50 off 63) innings in the first Ashes Test, Kevin Pietersen continued to criticize England’s speedsters.
The illustrious former batsman believed that England’s pacers lacked the quickness to trouble Head, who is vulnerable to shorter deliveries. The declaration followed the English pacers’ inability to get rid of Head early in the innings.
They did attempt several quick attacks on him, but aside from the odd one, the Australian southpaw appeared at ease in their presence. Even though a field was set up for short deliveries, he chose to take them anyway and scored a lot of runs using the pull shot.
When faced with Steve Smith’s defensive strategy in the opening 2023 Ashes match, Kevin Pietersen exclaimed, “It’s the worst leave I’ve seen. It’s incredibly dramatic.”
For those who weren’t watching, Smith stepped across the wickets to leave a number of deliveries. He took this action to annoy the bowlers and make them miss their lines and lengths, which would lead to mistakes.
It seemed rather absurd to Pietersen that the Australian batter couldn’t even see the ball, as he claimed. He continued by saying that Smith attempted to play the bowlers throughout his innings but eventually succumbed to his own scheme.
After Steve Smith (16 runs off 59 balls) was caught lbw by England captain Ben Stokes as he attempted to cross the off-stump, a statement was made.
Pietersen said in a statement to Sky Sports: “This is the worst leave I’ve ever witnessed; it’s very dramatic. Due to the delivery, it will likely appear on one of those spot-the-ball contests in magazines and newspapers in the future. ”
He went on to analyze Smith’s strategy:”He did have two leg slips, though it wasn’t good. So, even though he was bowling to his field, the leave was noteworthy. Though his technique can only be seen in a still picture, I believe it is only intended to confuse the bowler. Australians refer to it as mental breakdown. ”
Watch Smith dismissal below:
They did attempt to hit him with a number of quick blows, but aside from the occasional one, the Australian southpaw appeared at ease. Even though a field was set up for short deliveries, he chose to take them anyway and scored a lot of runs using the pull shot.
On Day 2, it was Moeen Ali, a spinner, who eventually got him caught out by Zak Crawley at short mid-wicket. Head attempted a down-the-track hit over the top, which helped him score a lot of runs on Day 2, but he mistimed his shot this time.
When considering England’s strategy for bowling at Head, Pietersen said:
Everyone believes he has a problem with the short delivery, so that’s why bowlers target him there. Listen, I don’t mean to be disrespectful to the England bowling lineup in the slightest, but they shouldn’t be feared. That’s what I’m saying in terms of pace. “
He continued, “Guys are bowling at an average speed of 80 to 85 mph. Shoaib Akhtar and Mitchell Johnson are not 95-game bowlers. Woody himself would barge in and put you to the test. ”
Meanwhile, Michael Atherton, a former captain of England, claimed that when it becomes difficult to overcome a shorter delivery, it frequently deflates a batter’s enthusiasm. In the five-match Ashes series, the 55-year-old said Head must quickly figure out how to overcome his weakness.
“The way he played it wasn’t up to par with how he ought to play it. Without a doubt, no. It’s a problem, and getting hit by that short ball rocks your battering confidence. For Head, it is a problem. ”
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