Batting in current cricket is easier than 25 years ago, according to former England batsman Kevin Pietersen. His words relate to the England-India Test series.
High-scoring games have characterised the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, especially the opening two. On the fifth day of the first Test, England pursued 371 runs, one of the most in Test history. India’s second Test aim was 608 runs, with captain Shubman Gill scoring a record 430 runs in both innings.
Kevin Pietersen noted England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ strategy, which has led to fast runs. He identified 20 renowned bowlers, including Wasim Akram, Chaminda Vaas, Glenn McGrath, and Harbhajan Singh, and said confronting them made batting harder. He asked fans to select ten modern bowlers who could match the greats.
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 yell at me, but batting is easier now than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard then! Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney, and more… Named 22 above.
Kevin Pietersen asked on X, “Please name 10 modern bowlers who compare to the names above.”
In the Manchester Test, England led by 186 runs after Day 3. Ben Duckett (94) and Zak Crawley (71), followed by Joe Root’s 150, set up the innings. Root became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history. England reached 544 for 7 by stumps on Day 3 in response to India’s 358 first innings.
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