Pietersen hits back at Aussie coach over jibe
ENGLAND batsman Kevin Pietersen wasted no time in mocking Australia coach Darren Lehmann’s depiction of the Ashes holders’ style as “dour” yesterday.
Pietersen used a question and answer session with his fans on Twitter to respond to Lehmann’s remarks, saying: “I can’t remember the scoreline in Ashes… 3-0 or almost 4-0??”.
Lehmann earlier lit the touchpaper ahead of the return Ashes series later this year by pointedly criticising the manner in which England closed out a 3-0 win over the summer.
“Dour,” he said when asked for his impression of England’s style. “It’s not the type of cricket I’d play. At times I’d like to see their over rates picked up.”
England travel Down Under next month aiming to win a second consecutive Ashes series on Australian soil for the first time in 80 years. It would also extend their sequence of Ashes victories to four, a feat not achieved since the rivalry’s embryonic days in the late 19th century.
Former Yorkshire captain Lehmann has other ideas, however, and believes a summer of facing England’s batsmen has helped his players hone their revenge plan.
Lehmann has previously identified Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott as a weak link, and believes his men have unsettled the England player psychologically.
“We’ve made some inroads and I hope that continues,” he added.
“He’s a good player, we know that. But I think we’ve worked out plans, which seem to work for most of their batters. In terms of knowing their batters back to front, we’ve got that down.
“We’ve found England cracks and worked out plans. I’m always confident. We found out a few things about England, which is great for us. I like the way we played in the last three Tests; I liked the attitude, and I liked the aggression.”
The first Ashes Test starts in Brisbane on 21 November.