Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen believes that batting in modern cricket is substantially easier than it was 25 years ago. His remarks came in the context of the ongoing England-India Test Series.
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has featured several high-scoring games, notably in the first two matches. In the first Test, England successfully chased a target of 371 on the fifth day, one of the biggest run chases in Test history. In the second Test, India set a massive target of 608 runs, with skipper Shubman Gill scoring a record 430 runs in both innings.
Kevin Pietersen highlighted the influence of England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ strategy, which has seen them score runs at a rapid rate.
He named over 20 outstanding bowlers from the past, including Wasim Akram, Chaminda Vaas, Glenn McGrath, and Harbhajan Singh, and argued that playing bowlers of that level made batting much more difficult. He also questioned the current generation’s bowling depth, daring fans to name ten modern-day bowlers who could stand up to the greats of the past.
Don’t shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then!
Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali,…
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) July 26, 2025
“Don’t shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then! Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney and the list could go on and on… I’ve named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?,” Pietersen said on X.
Speaking about the Manchester Test, England amassed a 186-run lead by the end of Day 3 The innings was set up by a strong start from openers Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (71), followed by a commanding 150 from Joe Root, who also became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history during his knock. In response to India’s first-innings total of 358, England posted 544 for 7 by stumps on Day 3.
India
