Kevin Pietersen hails Yashasvi Jaiswal
Kevin Pietersen (Image Credit: Twitter)

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) can’t be blamed for the demise of Test cricket in England.

England recently lost the Ashes 2021-22 series against Australia by 0-4 and after the defeat, several cricket pundits blamed IPL for England’s Ashes debacle. Even England great David Gower was “annoyed” after their Ashes defeat and he blamed IPL.

IPL 2022 Auction | IPL 2022 Teams | IPL News and Updates | IPL  2022 Schedule | ICC Teams  Rankings | ICC Players Rankings

Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen (Image Credit: Twitter)

Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen has said “ it is stupid” to blame IPL for the downfall of Test cricket in England and added that the County Cricket System is something which is poor.

“It is stupid. You can’t blame the IPL for the demise of Test cricket in England. It’s crazy. I’ve commented on it quite a lot. It’s the system, it’s the county cricket system, which is poor. So there’s no blame,” Pietersen, who is representing World Giants in the Legends League Cricket here, said during an interaction here on Thursday.

He mentioned that only a few members of England’s Test playing XI regularly play IPL.

“It’s crazy to blame the Indian Premier League because if you have a look at the Test team, there’s only maybe (Ben) Stokes (Jonny) Bairstow and (Jos) Buttler who play the IPL. Hardly any of the Test team players play the IPL. So how can you blame the IPL? You can’t blame the IPL. It’s crazy,” he added.

I’ve never played in a bubble, I can’t imagine but I think it must be very lonely – Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen (Image Credit: Twitter)

The England players were involved in controversy off the field after a report asserted that there was a “drinking culture” in the team with the players and coaches drinking late into the night before police broke up the session. Pietersen while talking about this matter said:

It’s stressful. It’s incredibly stressful. I’ve never played in a bubble. I can’t imagine but I think it must be very lonely. You’re not allowed to go to coffee shops. You’re not allowed to go down to the restaurants, you’re not allowed to do anything. And what else do you do? So I’m sure that the guys must have tried to find some sort of social activities in whichever way that they deem fit.”

“We’ll see, we’ll see. Maybe one day,” said Kevin Pietersen when asked if he sees himself as a batting coach of the side one day.

Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen (Image Credit: Twitter)

Meanwhile, Pietersen also labelled India as a global conservative leader in saving one-horned rhinos. He mentioned that the population of rhinos in Africa is declining and it’s completely opposite in India.

“Being a conservationist, I spend a lot of time in Africa. The rhino population is declining there and in India, the rhino population is on the way up,” he said.

“When I start to see the contrast between what’s happening in Africa and India, I find India is a conservation leader. It’s a global conservation leader and more power to India because that’s the kind of stuff that I absolutely love,” he said.

Also Read: IND vs SA: ‘Focused On My Duties As Head Coach Of The Proteas’-Mark Boucher Plays Down Racial Allegations

Read More  KKR camp divided in 2 groups ahead of RCB clash? Andre Russell provides insight about the dressing room atmosphere under Chandrakant Pandit

Get All Cricket match prediction and fantasy Tips – CLICK HERE

Cricket Match Prediction | T20 World Cup Match Prediction | Today Match Fantasy Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket News and Updates | Cricket Live Score

Sonanchal Gautam is the Assistant Content Manager at Cricketaddictor. He is a professional Wrestling and Hip-hop enthusiast.