Pietersen doubled down on his criticism, calling out the Proteas for going into a shell rather than trying to wrest back momentum.
Venkatesh Iyer silenced his critics with a match-winning 60 off 29 balls, propelling Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing 80-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
'These surfaces in particular have been a little bit different. It has been tricky, it has not been easy for the batters.'
The report also claimed that if India make the final in Ahmedabad, a slow pitch is expected at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera.
The Australian captain's gesture won cricketing hearts all over.
Gujarat Titans opener B Sai Sudharsan continued his red-hot form in the Indian Premier League to lead the Orange Cap race for IPL's top scorer and stake his claim for a Test debut in India's tour of England later this year.
'I'm really excited ... for next year to try to get some games before that World Cup and push a case to not only make the side but to get back to how I feel like I can bowl in T20 cricket.'
RCB squandered a golden opportunity to seal a top-two finish on the IPL points table.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
Despite the impressive record that the WTC finalists are in possession of, Bangar doesn't believe the Proteas or the Baggy Greens will receive an edge over the other in the Ultimate Test, which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), already qualified for the playoffs, will aim to secure a top-two league stage finish when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash in Lucknow.
Australian batting has not clicked as a unit so far in the World Cup, and captain Pat Cummins hoped that his batters will fire on all cylinders against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting described Aussies skipper Pat Cummins' captaincy as "old-fashioned" as he set fields and unravel plans over a long period of time.
South Africa insist they are confident of chasing down a tough target to win the World Test Championship at Lord's even if the contest against Australia has been dominated by the bowlers.
ICC rejected Khawaja's application to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
Australia coach McDonald dismisses 'far-fetched' Cummins resignation talk
Pat Cummins wants to experience that awesome feeling of leading a great bunch of blokes
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Chennai Super Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad in Chennai, on Friday.
Jos Buttler was effusive in his praise of Gujarat Titans' young batting star Sai Sudharsan.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday rated Protea opener Aiden Markram's measured hundred against Australia in the World Test Championship final as the "best innings" by a South African batter in Test matches.
Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne said he had "never seen" someone bowl like the way Pat Cummins did during the World Cup final against India, which they won by six wickets for a record-extending sixth title.
Cummins, who skipped the IPL last season, was also the most expensive buy in the 2020 IPL Auction.
Cummins's career haul is particularly noteworthy for a player who started his Test career aged 18, but spent more than five years out of the team due to a succession of injuries.
Cummins, who fractured his wrist during the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval (July 27-31), has been advised rest for six weeks.
Australian captain Pat Cummins couldn't believe his ears when he found a near 100,000 people at Narendra Modi Stadium go pin-drop silence after Virat Kohli's dismissal giving the vibe of a "quiet library" during the World Cup final against India.
'Quinny (De Kock) batted really well, from where they were we were happy with 310, we felt it was chaseable. It looked like hard work out there at night, zipped around now, but we were well off the mark.'
The spotlight was firmly on the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai as captains from all ten IPL franchises gathered for the official pre-season meet ahead of IPL 2025 on Thursday.
All the 10 teams are involved in a lot of back and forth with their overseas recruits over their arrival plans in India a day after the IPL announced the revised schedule following necessary security clearances from the government.
Mitchell Marsh is expected to lead in Cummins's absence. The all-rounder is also in contention to be named Australia's T20 skipper.
'I figured out pretty early, hitting the lengths and keeping it at the sticks was important.'
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
Cummins, Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy.
The 2025 final will be played between Australia and South Africa at Lord's from June 11.
A B de Villiers described South Africa's squad as a well-balanced unit and backed them to pull off an upset against defending champions Australia.
Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has questioned Pat Cummins' massive IPL price tag.
Speaking on Chase's dismissal, which came just after lunch, breaking a 67-run partnership with Hope, Sammy said, 'In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad.'
Gujarat Titans roared back to winning ways with a 38-run mauling of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Prabhsimran and Shreyas's catches halted Punjab's momentum.
They know what it takes to win the 50-over World Cup, having won five of them in 12 editions, but Australia skipper Pat Cummins says they are never "weighed down" by history and will stick to basics against South Africa in the second semi-final in Kolkata on Thursday.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
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