KP is the best: Australian cricketers

[DomainK]

KEVIN Pietersen is the best batsman in the world. Just ask him. "You are not God, you are a cricketer, and I'm a better one," he said to India's Yuvraj Singh during a Test in Mohali last year. It turns out many of Pietersen's Ashes opponents agree with him. In a survey of Australian cricketers this year, players contracted to Cricket Australia were asked to name the best batsman in the world outside Australia, and Pietersen (with 50% of the vote) was by far the most popular choice. Not Sachin Tendulkar, the little master who has made more Test runs than anyone else and flayed Australian attacks for 18 years but did not attract a vote from Cricket Australia-contracted players (state players still hold him in high regard). Not Graeme Smith (7 %), who at the time of the survey had just peeled off 1656 runs in a calendar year and led South Africa to inflict Australia's first defeat on home soil for 16 years, or his Proteas teammate Jacques Kallis (also 7%). The other 34 per cent went for Kumar Sangakkara, the classy Sri Lankan who had recently played as well as any touring batsman to fall just short of a double century against the Australians in Hobart. It is little wonder Pietersen is regarded by the Australians as the Englishman to be feared most in this Ashes series. Batsmen want to be him, envying his audaciousness, and bowlers want to be a long way away from him. Pietersen has made 963 runs at 53.50 against Australia, but the 29-year-old's attitude that attracts just as much admiration as his record. The arrogrance apparent in his outstanding sledge to Yuvraj has made him a divisive and abrasive character in dressing rooms, condemning him to a short and turbulent reign as England captain, but it has also made him a champion. "He's the sort of player that is always taking the game forward. I'm not sure of his strike rate in Test cricket (63.35) but generally when he makes runs he gets them at a pretty good speed," said Ricky Ponting, who would have stolen some votes from Pietersen if the survey had covered Australian players. "He's always putting it back on the bowler, the way he moves his feet, the way he walks across the stumps and does things, it's continually challenging the bowler. That in itself says a lot about you. You need great confidence to be able to do that, because if you get out doing that, at the end of the day you can punish yourself. "He's got a very good Test record, he averages over 50 and that's not an easy thing to do as a top order player," the Australian captain said, and he should know. "I think Pietersen is their classiest player. He's aggressive, he takes the game on, and those sort of players, when they start to get going, they can bring a few more of their teammates along with them. He hasn't been in his best form in the last half a dozen or 10 Test matches he's played but I still think he's the most dangerous." Brett Lee was on the end of Pietersen's astonishing 158 to seal the 2005 Ashes, his debut series, at the Oval, where he launched a fierce "pull drive" that proved his willingness to innovate and dominate. Since then he has made Muthiah Muralidaran laugh by reverse-sweeping the world's most successful spinner for six and pioneered the switch-hit, changing his grip to face up like a left-hander as the bowler approached. "You've got to have balls to try something like that," one player said at the time. "If KP's on song, he's one of the hardest batsmen in the world to bowl to," said Lee. "I don't care what anyone says - I've bowled against him when he's playing well and he picks the ball very, very early, he hangs late back in his crease and gives himself that extra time. He plays all the shots and he's an aggressive person. Whether that's the South African nature in him; Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are the two players who are most like Aussie players, the way they've got that controlled aggression, the way they don't want to let an opponent, I suppose, scare them or overpower them. When you've got that with a player with his talent, it's a pretty handy mix." Justin Langer sensed the England batsman's greatness as the Ashes turned to dust at the Oval, and while the 2006-07 sequel has been conveniently airbrushed from the English consciousness Pietersen's contribution in a losing cause - 490 runs at 54.44 - was just as impressive. "He had the courage to play with conviction and aggression. That's what great players do," said the retired Australian opener recently. "When you're playing someone like that, it feels horrible and hollow, like someone is stealing something from you." Mitchell Johnson will lead the quest to ensure Pietersen does not steal the urn from Australia this time, and while the usually placid left-armer has spoken of his plan to aim at the ribs "right at the top of the badge" - and wondered aloud whether the pressure on England's star batsman might make him vulnerable - the Australians know it is dangerous to provoke him. "I still think Ricky Ponting is the best batsman in the world. (But) Pietersen has got so much talent, he can hit your good balls for four or even six," Johnson said. "He can just go off without you even knowing it. He knows what he can do, and he does it pretty often." Source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/pietersen-the-worlds-best/2009/07/03/1246127690242.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[vvvslaxman]

Read that Don't read too much into it. Just an opinion of bunch of guys. It doesn't matter. Monkey episode has clearly created a drift. Especially Indians didn't give any standing ovation for Gilly on his last match. Gilly was accusing Sachin. The he retracted. They can think whatever they want. It doesn't matter. Let us not worry about what X thinks about us Y thinks about us.

[Lord]

KP did not pioneer the switch hit.Paul Nixon did it b4 him.

[Lord]

the Aussie media is at it again.they r just making a false hype of KP before the Ashes.i'm sure no such voting happened

[vvvslaxman]

No they have a voting process like that. I read it in one of their annual report. They vote every year. But this new is late i think.

[DomainK]

the Aussie media is at it again.they r just making a false hype of KP before the Ashes.i'm sure no such voting happened

Bingo. They are just over hyping KP intentionally.

[DomainK]

No they have a voting process like that. I read it in one of their annual report. They vote every year. But this new is late i think.

And each time they vote conveniently as a part of a strategic mind game. It was not too long ago when Ponting wrote in his series report that Sachin is the best batsman in the world. Now he has switched to Gilly. Very convenient, isn't it?

[vvvslaxman]

Like it or not. For England and Australia Ashes takes precedence over every other contest. So they glorify heroes of Ashes more than heroes overall. That is why Botham had huge hype despite the fact he sucked against no.1 team of his era, the West Indies.

[vvvslaxman]

And each time they vote conveniently as a part of a strategic mind game. It was not too long ago when Ponting wrote in his series report that Sachin is the best batsman in the world. Now he has switched to Gilly. Very convenient' date=' isn't it?[/quote'] I don't know about their intentions. But they have two seperate voting process. One is amongst all first class players. One is amongst all test players. They pick the best player against Australia through a voting process. Personally i have no problem with whoever they choose. I don't care about intentions either. It doesn't matter to us.

[Lord]

Like it or not. For England and Australia Ashes takes precedence over every other contest. So they glorify heroes of Ashes more than heroes overall. That is why Botham had huge hype despite the fact he sucked against no.1 team of his era' date=' the West Indies.[/quote'] then why do u think this is released just 1 day before 1st Ashes test.it cant be a coincidence,surely? n why has Sachin no votes?as Domaink mentioned Ricky Ponting considered SRT to be best in the world.so there is one vote,no?

[vvvslaxman]

then why do u think this is released just 1 day before 1st Ashes test.it cant be a coincidence,surely? n why has Sachin no votes?as Domaink mentioned Ricky Ponting considered SRT to be best in the world.so there is one vote,no?

2nd best is Sangakkara. So we cannot possibly say that it was intentional. They chose KP as the best player long long back. I don't know why it is only now in the news. I read it almost an year back in their annual report.

[DomainK]

2nd best is Sangakkara. So we cannot possibly say that it was intentional. They chose KP as the best player long long back. I don't know why it is only now in the news. I read it almost an year back in their annual report.

With your username, its a little funny to see you advocate the Aussie cause.:D

[WeStMiDz]

KP did not pioneer the switch hit.Paul Nixon did it b4 him.

Nixon tends to play the conventional reverse sweep although he does change his stance. However I'm sure Pietersen was the first to actually switch his hands...

[Lord]

2nd best is Sangakkara. So we cannot possibly say that it was intentional. They chose KP as the best player long long back. I don't know why it is only now in the news. I read it almost an year back in their annual report.

n answer to my 2nd question?why has Sachin no votes despite Ricky saying he was the best?

[Rajiv]

Safedi ki Chamkar

[graphic23]

With your username' date=' its a little funny to see you advocate the Aussie cause.:D[/quote'] Precisely. Laxman and Tendulkar have tormented the Australians so much more than Pietersen can dream of doing. 281, 148, 178, 169, 109, etc. - so many big scores that Laxman has scored against the Aussies. And of all, Brett Lee ought to remember how ordinary he proved when Laxman was in full flow in 2004. :headshake: These bums, for all their statements, did not dismiss sachin at Sydney in 3 consecutive innings! 241* + 62* + 154* . :headshake: Aussies.

[vvvslaxman]

With your username' date=' its a little funny to see you advocate the Aussie cause.:D[/quote'] Not Aussies cause. I hate those guys. But i don't like our media going hissyfit over every time when there is a ranking when there is an opinion that excludes us. This is umpteenth time i am seeing that. It is internal voting. They could vote for Ashraful for all i care. We shouldn't give too much importance these kind of ratings and rankings.

[vvvslaxman]

After monkey episode the dynamics has completely changed. Gilly openly accused Tendulkar. There were lot of war on the media. I am not at all surprised at the omission.

[Guest Hiten.]

Why do us Indian fans feel inferior whenever there is a praise for cricketers from other parts of the world ? We don't need anyone's assurance over who is the greatest batsman, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If Aussie feel KP is the best, so be it; it's not going to make SRT any lesser of a threat to Aussies or matter of fact to any other team.

[jf1gp_1]

Why do us Indian fans feel inferior whenever there is a praise for cricketers from other parts of the world ? We don't need anyone's assurance over who is the greatest batsman' date= because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If Aussie feel KP is the best, so be it; it's not going to make SRT any lesser of a threat to Aussies or matter of fact to any other team.

exactly