Kevin Pietersen Slams The Level Of English County Cricket; Terms It 'Rubbish'

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen expressed his displeasure at the standard of English county cricket after the national team’s batting performance in the ongoing first Test against India. India’s pace bowlers rattled England in the first innings of the opening Test, bundling them out for 183. Kevin Pietersen described the level as ‘rubbish’.

Several top-order England batsmen had hardly batted in first-class cricket ahead of the series against India. While the likes of Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow offered some resistance, they could not do it for a long time. Moreover, Ben Stokes’ absence exposed the inexperienced middle-order badly. Root top-scored with 64, while Jasprit Bumrah managed four scalps.

Kevin Pietersen revealed it’s upsetting to see the marquee Test series between England and India go under the radar. The 104-Test veteran stated his best achievement was to make 100 appearances for England in red-ball cricket as the blood and sweat required to design a Test career feels remarkable. However, Pietersen expressed his worry as the interest in the purest form of the game seems to diminish.

“To see the Test series between England and India completely slipping under the radar in England, in terms of the media and social media conversation, is very sad,” he said. “I’m a purist. One of the greatest achievements of my career was reaching 100 Test match caps. The literal blood, sweat and tears that go into a Test career are what makes the longest format the best. It now feels like interest in the format, ahead of a series between two giants of the game, is dwindling and it’s really worrying,” Pietersen stated as quoted by The Wisden.

I won’t settle for mediocrity: Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen bluntly remarked he wouldn’t settle for mediocrity and never did as a player either. The 41-year old believes that despite too many first-class players, England has not produced quality top-order players. Hence, he labelled the first-class competition as sub-standard.

“I won’t settle for mediocrity. I never did as a player and I won’t now. There are too many first-class cricketers in this country – far too many. We should be able to produce opening batsmen who come into international cricket and clean up, but we don’t. Why? Because the standard of county cricket is rubbish. Plain and simple,” he added.

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