Stupid to blame IPL for Ashes debacle in England, says ex-captain Kevin Pietersen

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Archive image of Kevin Pietersen. Reuters

Muscat: Former captain and batting star Kevin Pietersen has said it was “stupid” to blame the Indian Premier League for England’s embarrassing 0-4 loss to Australia in the recently concluded Ashes series.

England great David Gower was “annoyed” after their loss to the Ashes and said current skipper Joe Root had players “unavailable” due to the IPL.

Pietersen, Ashes winner in 2005, 2009, 2010-11 and 2013, laughed at the remark.

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

“It’s crazy to blame the Indian Premier League because if you look at the test squad, maybe it’s only (Ben) Stokes (Jonny) Bairstow and (Jos) Buttler playing the IPL. ..”

“Almost none of the test team players play IPL… So how can you blame the IPL? You can’t blame the IPL. It’s crazy,” a former captain added. Delhi’s IPL franchise.

Off the pitch, England cricketers have also been mired in controversy after a report claimed there was a ‘drinking culture’ in the squad with players and coaches drinking late into the night before the police interrupted the session.

Pietersen said there is nothing wrong with that as players are affected by the strict bio-bubble restrictions.

“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 are not allowed to go to cafes. You don’t have the right to go down to restaurants, you don’t have the right to do anything. And what else do you do?

“So I’m sure the guys must have tried to find some kind of social activity in whatever way they felt was appropriate,” he said.

The 41-year-old previously called for sweeping changes to the red ball format in England with a call to impose ‘The Hundred’ model on Premier Class matches as he felt the County Championship level had fallen.

When asked if he ever sees himself as the team’s batting coach, Pietersen replied, “We’ll see, we’ll see. Maybe one day.”

India, a world leader in wildlife conservation

A wildlife advocate, Pietersen also hailed India as a world leader in saving one-horned rhinos.

He previously praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for cracking down on poaching and protecting India’s wildlife after Assam reported just one rhino death by poachers last year.

“As an environmentalist, I spend a lot of time in Africa. The rhino population there is declining and in India the rhino population is on the rise,” he said.

“When I start to see the contrast between what is happening in Africa and India, I find India to be a leader in conservation.

“It’s a world leader in conservation and more power for India because that’s the kind of stuff I love,” he said.

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