‘One ball will have your name on it. Till then, SCORE RUNS! Defending isn’t the play’
Former England star Kevin Pietersen didn’t wait long to weigh in.
Just moments after South Africa slumped to 43/4 at stumps on Day 1 of the World Test Championship final, he fired off a brutal verdict on X, ‘One ball will have your name on it. Till then, SCORE RUNS! Defending isn’t the play.’
It was a clear jab at South Africa’s ultra-defensive, low-tempo batting approach after they failed to build on Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul that had earlier skittled Australia out for 212.
Speaking later on air, Pietersen doubled down on his criticism, calling out the Proteas for going into a shell rather than trying to wrest back momentum.
‘I don’t think they’ve got their tempo right at all,’ he said during the broadcast. ‘Is this wicket that difficult to bat on? You’ve got to look to score.’
Pietersen wasn’t suggesting a reckless counterattack or advocating for full-blown Bazball. Instead, he pointed to South Africa’s lack of any rhythm or purpose.
‘At the moment, South Africa is just standing there saying, ‘You bowl to me, you bowl to me.’ That doesn’t work here—certainly not in England.’
The Proteas scored just 34 runs in an entire session while losing three key wickets, giving Australia’s pace trio—Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood—license to dominate.
Despite a bowling-friendly pitch and overhead conditions, the former England captain made it clear, defence alone doesn’t win you sessions in England.
As South Africa trail by 169 runs with only six wickets in hand, Day 2 may well be shaped by whether they finally listen.
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