Kevin Pietersen picks the only entertainer in modern cricket

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen, one of the most attractive characters on the 22 yards, has expressed concern saying cricket lacks superstars now and that is not a good sign. The 38-year-old South Africa-born who retired from all forms of the game earlier this year said the only entertainer he sees on the ground today is Virat Kohli.

A colourful character during his playing days, Pietersen scored over 13,000 international runs in 104 Tests, 136 ODIs and 37 T20Is and has 32 international tons at a fairly impressive strike rate. The man has always been a straight talker, even post-retirement and his clear views have often seen him earning all kinds of reactions.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek, Pietersen said, “I really struggle to see entertainers, they’re lacking in the game. Virat Kohli is an exception, but otherwise pure entertainers and superstars are not in the game and that’s a big worry.”

He also recalled the days when cricket had a number of attractive characters in the forms of Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff, Muttiah Muralitharan, Curtly Ambrose, Matthew Hayden, Courtney Walsh, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram and compared them to the cricketers from the current generation.

He wants former greats to be involved in the game

Known for his flamboyant batting style, Kevin Pietersen also said that quite a few of those former players do commentary for the game nowadays but are not seen involved in the game.

“You want those superstars attached to franchises, national sides and academies so that youngsters get inspired to be those people,” he advised. The former England international said the boards of the respective cricketing nations should engage their former players more and assign them roles in coaching and administration.

Pietersen, who himself also has been in commentary since he last played for England in 2014, said the former cricketers would have to be paid more since they earn quite a handsome amount from their commentary assignments.

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