England Would Have Been More Successful If The Hundred Had Started Earlier, Says Kevin Pietersen

Jul 20, 2021 at 12:27 PM

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England Would Have Been More Successful If The Hundred Had Started Earlier, Says Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen believes if The Hundred had started earlier, England would have been a much better white-ball team. Kevin Pietersen highlighted how during his playing days there were only three or four English players playing the extravagant IPL. The former batsman also suggested that he was often left frustrated by the England team management’s decision to pick conservative batsmen.

England had a disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign as they lost to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh. They failed to even clear the group stage hurdle. But since then, under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball team has been known to play an aggressive brand of cricket as was evident in their 2019 World Cup victory beating New Zealand in the final in a thriller.

Eoin Morgan of England celebrates with his team as he lifts the Cricket World Cup trophy after the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between New Zealand and England at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Eoin Morgan of England celebrates with his team as he lifts the Cricket World Cup trophy after the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between New Zealand and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 14, 2019, in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Kevin Pietersen: England Would Have Been More Successful If The Hundred Had Started Earlier

Kevin Pietersen suggested that if more English players had played in the IPL in the past, England would have adapted to the new ways much quicker.

Pietersen said in an interaction with the Daily Mail: “One hundred per cent (if England would have been more successful if The Hundred had come earlier). I played in an era when only four or five of us were playing IPL cricket and we were all frustrated sat in England teams, asking, “What on earth are we doing blocking the ball? Why are we picking players who block the ball?” Now you’ve got an England team full of IPL stars who get dropped if they block it. It’s a complete change in mindset.”

Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen. Image Credits: Twitter

The inaugural edition of The Hundred starts tomorrow, with the men’s edition set to begin on July 22nd.

Kevin Pietersen: BCCI And ECB Should Work Out A Way To Include Indian Male Cricketers In The Hundred

The former England batsman also hopes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can work out a way to include male Indian cricketers in The Hundred in the near future. Dinesh Karthik recently admitted that he would be open to playing in The Hundred.

However, with current rules set in place by the BCCI, the male Indian fringe cricketers who are still vying for spots in the national team or want to carry on playing domestic cricket have predominantly stayed away from foreign leagues to avoid risking their careers. Kevin Pietersen realizes the number of fans following The Hundred would increase if Indian male players joined the tournament.

Dinesh Karthik Photo: © Reuters (Main Image)
Dinesh Karthik Photo: © Reuters (Main Image)

“The male Indian players make the TV numbers shoot through the roof, and they also make the crowds. They’re so well supported. Politically, if the two boards are on that level and conversations are happening then that would be a huge coup for English cricket,” said Kevin Pietersen.

The BCCI has given NOC to five women cricketers to participate in the inaugural season of The Hundred. Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma are set to feature in the women’s edition of the competition.

The Hundred is a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men’s and women’s teams located in major cities across England and Wales. The tournament will be run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and will take place for the first time in summer 2021, having been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chris Woakes, Dom Sibley, Moeen Ali, and Adam Milne will be part of the Birmingham Phoenix, while Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence, and Eoin Morgan will be part of the London Spirit. Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson, and Lockie Ferguson will be part of the Manchester Originals.

Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, and David Willey will be part of the Northern Superchargers. Sam Curran, Rory Burns, Tom Curran, and Reece Topley will be part of the Oval Invincibles.

Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, and Tymal Mills will be part of the Southern Brave. Joe Root, Rashid Khan, and Alex Hales will be part of the Trent Rockets.  Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow, and Tom Banton will be part of the Welsh Fire.

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