Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen spoke about the difference between the current generation of cricketers and that of his, with the big difference being the fact that during his playing days there were those big names who entertained people and made the next generation fall in love with the game. In the current times, however, KP believes that barring Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, there’s hardly an entertainer in the game.
“I really struggle to see entertainers, they’re lacking in the game,” Pietersen said while speaking to BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek. “Virat Kohli is an exception, but otherwise pure entertainers and superstars are not in the game and that’s a big worry.”
Picking out some of the ‘entertainers’, Pietersen called out the names of Muttiah Muralitharan, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Matthew Hayden, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Flintoff, Wasim Akram and drew comparisons between these legends of the game with that of the current crop of players.
“Maybe it’s a generational thing but the sad part is that quite a few of those former players are commentating but they are not in the game of cricket. You want those superstars attached to franchises, national sides and academies so that youngsters get inspired to be those people,” he added.
“They have to get paid more because the money for commentary, which is a pretty easy gig, is fairly good,” said Pietersen, who himself has been a commentator since quitting international career back in 2014.
