Kevin Pietersen Wants James Anderson To Be Dropped From England XI For Ashes 2023 3rd Test

Former England National Cricket Team batsman Kevin Pietersen has called for the exclusion of the veteran pacer James Anderson from the playing XI for the third Test of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series.

The 40-year-old Anderson has failed to perform so far in the marquee series. In the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s, he registered bowling figures of 1/53 & 0/56 and 1/53 & 1/64.

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In his column for Betway, Kevin Pietersen stated that Anderson needs to be rested following his failures in the first two Tests. He believes the inclusion of Mark Wood to the playing XI would give the team an express pace option. The 43-year-old was hopeful of the return of Moeen Ali to the playing XI following his recovery from a finger injury.

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“I’d rest Anderson for this Test match seeing as these first two matches haven’t gone well, and I’d bring him back for Old Trafford, his home ground. They’ve got to get Mark Wood into this team. They need some pace. And hopefully, Moeen Ali’s finger is okay, so he will come in,” he said.

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Stop Making Crazy Decisions – Kevin Pietersen’s Message To England

Kevin Pietersen has said that he trusts Ben Stokes, but the English skipper needs to produce results in England’s favor in the remainder of the series. He added that instead of making big claims in the press conference, England players should focus on their performance on the field.

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“Stokes has said, ‘We’ve beaten teams 3-0 before and we want to do that again,’ and I believe him. He’s that kind of person. I absolutely believe every single word that he says. But they need to win the next three Test matches on the cricket field and not in the media. I’d be very happy if none of them do a press conference before they turn up on Thursday, and they just go out and play cricket,” Kevin Pietersen said.

Kevin Pietersen urged England to “stop making crazy decisions” and was optimistic about the side winning the third Test. He also heaped rich praise on Ben Stokes for his sensational innings at Lord’s.

“I can see England winning this Test and getting back into the series, but they have to stop making crazy decisions, and they have to follow their leader. Ben Stokes was brilliant at Lord’s. If it wasn’t for that 150, they could have been 100 all out. His innings papered over a lot of the cracks,” Kevin Pietersen said.

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Meanwhile, the Aussies won the first two Test matches by 2 wickets and 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The next match will be played from July 06 to 10 at the Headingley in Leeds.

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