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Former cricketer Kevin Pietersen lambasted the approach adopted by England batters against South Africa in their final group stage match in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
With the sun shining brightly over Karachi's stadium, the batting paradise turned into a walking nightmare against the Proteas. Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder left England in tatters with a deadly line and length fueled by their searing pace. In Jos Buttler's last game as white-ball captain, England folded on 179, the lowest total in the ongoing Champions Trophy. The English batters fancied their chances and tried to define 'Bazball' with a touch of extra aggression, a tactic that didn't sit well with Pietersen. "More care has to be taken in ODI cricket for a batters wicket. To say it's an extension of a T20 and you can swing like a rusty gate is utter BS!" Pietersen wrote on X. Phil Salt and Jamie Smith returned to the dressing room after failed attempts to pull the ball away. Ben Duckett went down after being lured into a false stroke. Harry Brook aimed for glory and placed it straight into Jansen's hands. The reckless approach left England tottering at 100/4, a position they couldn't recover from. Apart from the top-order's frail display, Liam Livingstone ambled down the crease, went for a wild swing and got stumped. The responsibility to put runs on the board turned out to be too much for the lower-order batters, as England settled for a paltry 179 on the board. Since 2024, England has resorted to an attacking approach within the first 10 overs of its batting in ODIs 51.6 per cent of the time, losing 23 wickets while averaging just 27.73. A key player behind this reckless attack is perhaps their opener, Phil Salt, who has scored just 30 runs in three innings during this Champions Trophy and averages 31.87 after his first 31 innings in ODIs, during which he has made 988 runs with a century and five fifties at a strike rate of 114.75. England has fared much better when rotating the strike in the first ten overs, doing it 24.5 per cent of the time and losing just three wickets at an average of 56.33. While England is vulnerable to playing too recklessly, they have also showcased a defensive style 21 per cent of the time, throwing away three wickets at an average of 7.66. While attempting no shots 1.9 per cent of the time, they do not lose a wicket. (ANI)
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