“It’s the worst leave I’ve seen, incredibly dramatic” – Kevin Pietersen surprised by Steve Smith’s defensive approach in 2023 Ashes opener
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was surprised to witness Steve Smith's defensive approach on Day 2 of the ongoing 2023 Ashes opener on Saturday, June 17. The 42-year-old called one of his leaves the 'worst' he has seen.
For those who missed the action, Smith left numerous deliveries by stepping across the wickets. He did this in order to frustrate the bowlers and force them to make errors by missing their lines and lengths.
Pietersen said that the Australian batter couldn’t even spot the ball, which looked quite funny to him. He added that Smith, throughout his innings, tried to mess with the bowlers but eventually, fell victim to his own ploy.
Watch Steve Smith's leaves below:
#AshesOn a string 🪀
Every @StuartBroad8 ball this morning 👌
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 #Ashes https://t.co/7ok3RMQMPK
The statement came after Steve Smith (16 runs off 59 balls) was trapped lbw to England captain Ben Stokes as he tried to walk across the off-stump.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Pietersen said:
“It’s the worst leave I’ve seen, incredibly dramatic. It’s gonna be on one of those spot-the-ball competitions in years to come in magazines and newspapers because of the delivery.”
He continued, analysing Smith's approach:
“Yes, it wasn’t good, but he did have two leg slips. So, he was bowling to his field, but the leave was quite something. We’ve seen a still image of the leave but I think his technique is just there to mess with the bowler. Mental disintegration, the Aussies call it.”
Watch Smith's dismissal below:
Back bowling for England.
Back taking a MASSIVE wicket.
The captain strikes! 🔥
#EnglandCricket | #Ashes https://t.co/Lk22fWp6bM
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but they’re not to be feared” – Kevin Pietersen opens up on Travis Head’s dismissal in 2023 Ashes opener
Kevin Pietersen further criticized England’s speedsters while reviewing Travis Head’s (50 off 63) innings in the first Ashes Test. The legendary former batsman felt that England’s pacers lacked the speed to trouble Head, who is vulnerable against shorter deliveries.
The statement came after English pacers failed to dismiss Head early on in the innings. They did attack him with several short deliveries but apart from the odd one, the Aussie southpaw seemed comfortable against them. He even decided to take on the short deliveries despite a field set for it and scored plenty of runs through the pull shot.
It was eventually, Moeen Ali, the spinner, who got him caught out to Zak Crawley at short mid-wicket on Day 2. Head was attempting a down-the-track hit over the top, something which earned him a lot of runs on Day 2, but failed to time his shot on this occasion.
Pietersen looked at England's approach to bowling at Head and said:
“There’s a reason why the bowlers target him there because everybody feels he has an issue [with the short delivery]. Listen, I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all to this England bowling lineup, but they’re not to be feared. I say that from a pace-wise perspective."
He continued:
"Guys [are] bowling at 80-85 miles an hour. You don’t have Mitchell Johnson bowling at 95 or Shoaib Akhtar at 95. Even Woody would run in and really test you.”
Former England captain Michael Atherton, meanwhile, said that shorter deliveries often dampen the enthusiasm of a batter when it gets challenging to overcome it. The 55-year-old said that Head needs to quickly find out a way to get on top of his weakness in the five-match Ashes series.
“The way that he played it, it wasn’t as good as he should be playing it. Absolutely, no way. So, it’s a problem, and when you get targeted with that short ball, it rocks your foundations as a batter. It’s an issue for Head.”
Follow 2023 Ashes live score updates here.