Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersCan someone please smack him: Kevin Pietersen hits out at Australia star with 'zero variations'
Former England international Kevin Pietersen wasn't impressed with the touring batters' approach in the ongoing Ashes Test.
England continued on a downward glide on Saturday, losing lost four wickets for just 19 runs on the third day of the ongoing second Ashes Test. While skipper Joe Root and Dawid Malan looked impressive in the first session, the touring party wobbled after the dinner, letting Australia gain the upper hand at the Adelaide Oval.
Root and Malan brought up their second 100-run partnership for the third wicket in the Ashes. Malan notched up his ninth Test half-century before Root reached his 52nd Test fifty, which helped him surpass Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar to become the fifth-highest Test run-scorer in a calendar year.
The Root & Malan show was perhaps the only positive thing for England. They dwindled in the second session with the lower-order falling like a house of cards, still trailing by 200-plus runs.
Meanwhile, former England international Kevin Pietersen wasn't impressed with the touring batters' approach against Nathan Lyon. The Aussie tweaker who recently entered the 400-wickets club in Test cricket bowled 10 maidens and created wicket-taking opportunities before he removed Ollie Pope. He went on to make it three by also plucking the wickets of Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson.
"Can SOMEONE please smack Lyon?!?!! FFS! Off spinner with zero variations and bowling on world crickets flattest road!!!! #Ashes," tweeted Pietersen while taking an aim at Lyon, who created plenty of chances before marking his name in the wickets column.
England are without any spinner on the Adeliade Oval track after benching Jack Leach after the Ashes opener drubbing. Australia great Shane Warne disagreed with Pietersen's views on Lyon while commentating for Fox Cricket.
"I thought all the Australian bowlers were outstanding, but I thought Nathan Lyon even though he only took the one wicket I thought he created a lot of pressure at one end. He allowed the quicks to rotate at the other end and that is what England lacked. That was a standout. No spinner. Nathan Lyon has done a great job," said the legendary tweaker.
Former England pacer Steven Finn also backed Warne, saying Lyon helps the Aussie bowlers to get "prolonged" rest and stay "fresher" for their second and third spells. The 33-year-old Lyon is the seventh spinner to record 400 Test wickets, sitting with Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Rangana Herath, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh in the panel.
"It's hard to sum up how important Nathan Lyon's role is and that's what England are really missing. He's so consistent in holding up an end for Australia that while the bowlers have spent a lot of time in the field, he gives them a chance for a prolonged rest, so that their legs are fresher for their second and third spells," said Finn on BBC Test Match Special.
