‘That’s stupid’: Pietersen ridicules Gower’s statement blaming IPL for Ashes loss; “It’s the system that’s bad” | locust

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England faced an embarrassing 0-4 defeat in the recently concluded Ashes series, drawing criticism for their uninspired performances throughout the five Tests Down Under. Former England great David Gower lashed out at the team, saying he was ‘annoyed’ after the Ashes defeat and said current skipper Joe Root had players ‘unavailable’ due to the IPL.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who was a four-time Ashes winner with the team and one of the key IPL players during his playing days, laughed at Gover’s statement and said he was ‘stupid’ to blame the T20 league for England’s debacle.

“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, during an interaction 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 at night before the police interrupted the session.

Pietersen said there was 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 are not allowed to go down to restaurants, you are not allowed 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.

(With the contribution of the agency)

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