Players with misleading averages....

[smash84]

Out of curiosity did you watch the 80 odd against Pakistan? Because any player that can remotely take credit for playing that kind of knock has to have reached shameful levels. Pietersen has always looked clueless against Asif, the less said about any of his knocks against Pakistan the better. If I said he had at least 5 lives in that innings, I would not be exaggerating.

I was going to say the exact same thing. That 80 was one of the worst test innings that you will ever see. He looked clueless against every bowler and was dropped umpteen times. The worst part was that even with so many chances KP was in pathetic enough form not to make a 100.

 

[abmk]

Out of curiosity did you watch the 80 odd against Pakistan? Because any player that can remotely take credit for playing that kind of knock has to have reached shameful levels. Pietersen has always looked clueless against Asif, the less said about any of his knocks against Pakistan the better. If I said he had at least 5 lives in that innings, I would not be exaggerating.

didn't watch that innings

Also, what on earth are you talking about? Sangakkara has played some incredible knocks over the past few years, one feels that he doesnt quite get enough credit simply because his team rarely tours outside of the subcontinent. His twin 100s in NZ against Bond and co in NZ and his 192 in Australia are right up there with the very best knocks played this past decade.

all 3 were excellent, especially the 192 and the 100. But still not as many in number as KP

 

[Howe_zat]

Meh sorry, Im not buying this. Using the argument that Pietersen averaged 60 in Australia for the Ashes flatters him or at least it is misused to do so. Fair enough the 227 was a good innings, but looking at it in the context of the series he failed every time England were in a pressure situation. 1 good knock out of 6 is hardly a good series, it is awful in fact, its certainly not a sign of his second coming as people seem to be suggesting.

I didn't bring up his average for the series. Didn't say he was a having a "second coming" either. I don't feel he will ever have the impact his first three years had but I still feel he is a good international batsman, and his tour of Australia lends weight to that.

I don't see why you feel the need to write off the 227, if you write off their best innings in a series then any batsman is going to look like they had an ordinary time. I'd call it one very good innings and a couple of decent ones, which for six innings is a healthy return.

As for pressure situations, there was only really one all series (second dig at Perth) in which everyone failed. Pietersen's innings there was admittedly atrocious, part of the reason I'm still not considering him as good as he was. His two "decent" innings (first day as Brisbane, second at Melbourne) were both important, things could have gone very wrong very quickly for England if he'd got nothing.

 

[robelinda]

I'd say that 80 vs Pakistan was one of the worst innings by a top player ive ever seen.

 

[Howe_zat]

It was dreadful.

 

[Blaze 18]

While sangakkara is the better batsman as of now, it isn't that there is vast difference between him and KP

This. Sangakkara is in better form right now, that is undeniable, but there is little that separates the two over their whole careers. I'd have Pietersen ahead as he is equally adept at playing spin and pace. While Sangakkara is good, he isn't in the same ballpark as Pietersen when it comes to playing spin.

 

[Blaze 18]

I was going to say the exact same thing. That 80 was one of the worst test innings that you will ever see. He looked clueless against every bowler and was dropped umpteen times. The worst part was that even with so many chances KP was in pathetic enough form not to make a 100.

I'd say that 80 vs Pakistan was one of the worst innings by a top player ive ever seen.

It was dreadful.

Agreed. It was Pietersen's worst ever half century.

 

[vcs]

Have to agree with all of that, though i'd give his innings a little more credit, but he was dished up some complete garbage, and he did look out of sorts in virtually every other innings on the entire tour. Not really the sort of player who is going to knuckle down and get out of a slump, will always thump his way out of it, at least while his ego is as big as my mother in laws backside.

Agree so, so much with that. I wouldn't even say he looked particularly out of sorts, he seems to waste a lot of decent form by playing stupid strokes in the 30s and 40s. Not sure if he will ever change that mindset.

 

[Dasa]

Seriously don't get the KP love. Imo there's no comparison with him and Sanga, the latter is for me a long way ahead. It sometimes seems like Pietersen is rated on how he approaches the game rather than his results - he's full of bluster and looks attacking and likes to hit audacious shots, but the fact that they don't come off as often as they should for someone spoken so highly of is ignored.

 

[Daemon]

YouTube - Kevin Pietersen plays cricket blindfolded - Exclusive

 

[Howe_zat]

YouTube - Kevin Pietersen plays cricket blindfolded - Exclusive

Haha, fake but awesome.

 

[hang on]

sangakkara is comfortably ahead of pietersen as a batsman at present. however, sanga does need to do well in at least 2 of the 4 countries where his record is quite mediocre. got a good chance this summer to put right his english cv -- a 100 in england would be a start!

pietersen needs to just bat well...anywhere. while his antipodean sojourn wasn't particularly profitable, it wasn't something that was terrible, either. he could also do with quite some improving of his subcontinental cv.

 

[GIMH]

Seriously don't get the KP love. Imo there's no comparison with him and Sanga, the latter is for me a long way ahead. It sometimes seems like Pietersen is rated on how he approaches the game rather than his results - he's full of bluster and looks attacking and likes to hit audacious shots, but the fact that they don't come off as often as they should for someone spoken so highly of is ignored.

The fact that KP's shots don't come off as often as they should is ignored? Massive lol, he gets panned for it ALL THE TIME by fans and detractors.

As for his innings at Adelaide being irrelevant, can't quite get my head round that one. Seriously, wat.

 

[Prince EWS]

comparing Pietersen to Sangakkara. Seriously, just no.

 

[silentstriker]

Isn't the difference in their average like 10 or 11 points? It's not everything but that is hardly a small difference. That's a bigger difference than between Dhoni and Gilchrist...and no one in their right mind could compare the two even as batsmen.

 

[Spark]

The fact that KP's shots don't come off as often as they should is ignored? Massive lol, he gets panned for it ALL THE TIME by fans and detractors.

As for his innings at Adelaide being irrelevant, can't quite get my head round that one. Seriously, wat.

I love it. If you didn't come in at 3/50 and face the best attack in the world in seaming conditions your innings is worthless, sorry.

---

But yeah, KP vs. Sanga, just no.

 

[Jono]

Who is actually saying KP is better than Sanga? Have I missed a post or something in this thread?

 

[abmk]

Wait a sec, so these 2 shouldn't even be compared as batsmen ?

Did anyone say that lara shouldn't be compared with sachin at this stage at the end of 2000 when their averages
at end of 2000 were,

sachin's average 57.25 ( sanga's is similar )
lara's average 48.56 ( KP's is similar )

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

I'm sure many ( most probably ) rated sachin higher then, but I don't think there were many saying these 2 shouldn't even be compared, were there ?

 

[tooextracool]

Who is actually saying KP is better than Sanga? Have I missed a post or something in this thread?

Dont think anyone really said that, but it is a mantra in cricketweb to take anything that is said and make it sound like what people want it to sound like and run with it. Seems to be the same story with the people who have suggested that I said that KP's Adelaide knock was 'useless' and 'irrelevant'

 

[Teja.]

Dont think anyone really said that

I'd have Pietersen over Sangakkara, only just.

I agree that they aren't comparable on current form. I'd also agree that Pietersen hasn't done justice to his potential, but let us not pretend that there is some huge gulf between them when it comes to overall careers.

While sangakkara is the better batsman as of now, it isn't that there is vast difference between him and KP

tbh