Kevin Pietersen lashes out at England's Ben Duckett: Here's why
What's the story
Former England cricket team captain, Kevin Pietersen, has slammed batter Ben Duckett for his remarks on the ongoing ODI series against India.
This comes after Duckett made a controversial statement after England lost to India in the second match of the series.
The defeat gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead, after which Duckett implied a series loss wouldn't matter if England won the Champions Trophy final.
Here's more.
Controversy
Duckett's controversial statement and Pietersen's response
Duckett told Sky Sports, "We have come here for one thing and that is to win the Champions Trophy. If we lose 3-0 to India, I don't care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy."
He added, "It's about peaking at the right time."
Pietersen responded on social media platform X saying, "Goodness me, it's pretty poor that Duckett would say that he doesn't care if England lose today and lose 3-0 to India."
Match preparations
England and India gear up for final ODI
In the third and final ODI, England's captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first against India.
The English side made one change with Tom Banton coming in for Jamie Overton in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, India made three changes as Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were rested, with Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh coming in.
Varun Chakravarthy was unavailable with a sore calf, leading to Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion in the XI.
Optimism
Duckett remains hopeful despite England's recent struggles
Despite England's dismal show in the last two ICC tournaments, Duckett remains optimistic about their chances in the Champions Trophy 2025.
He feels certain players are finding their form and the India series is just practice for the Champions Trophy.
Duckett also defended his batting approach, saying he wasn't satisfied with scoring in the 60s but had to seize his opportunities against favorable match-ups in the match.
Stats
Duckett's ODI stats and current series performance
Duckett, who made his ODI debut back in 2016, has finally cemented his spot in England's XI.
According to ESPNcricinfo, in 19 ODIs, the England opener has smashed 797 runs at an average of 46.88.
His tally includes six fifties and two tons. Duckett has a remarkable strike rate of 101.27 in the format.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing series, Duckett has recorded figures of 32 (six boundaries) and 65 (10 fours), in the first and second ODIs respectively.
Twitter Post
Pietersen's X post slamming Duckett's statement
Goodness me, it’s pretty poor that Duckett would say that he doesn’t care if England lose today and lose 3-0 to India.
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) February 12, 2025
Context is important when reading quotes, but those words should NOT have been said!
NEVER!