Kevin Pietersen, a former England batter, talked about how he thinks the second Ashes Test at Lord’s is going. Even though off-spinner Nathan Lyon has a calf strain, Australia is still in a strong situation. They have a healthy lead of 221 runs over England, which has a hard time winning the rest of the match.
Kevin Pietersen thinks that the Australian team will keep their lead and keep playing the same way on Day 4, which will make things even worse for the hosts.
“They won’t even look at England. They won’t say, “Hey, England, let’s see how brave you are,” or anything like that. “They just won’t do it, especially with a spinner down,” Pietersen said on Sky Sports Cricket’s famous cricket show, “The Ashes Podcast.”
The former cricketer also said that he liked how the Australian team planned their moves. He agreed that their batters give the bowlers enough time to rest between sets. Pietersen said, “If you only bat for 70–75 overs, there’s no fast bowler in the world on the other team who thinks that’s a bad thing. It’s the same as playing three spells and 15 overs in total.”
Usman Khawaja has looked like he has everything under control. Kevin Pietersen said that Usman Khawaja has been the best player in the Ashes 2023 series. Pietersen has noticed Khawaja’s steady batting, and he has said that he reminds him of Steve Smith because of how focused and in control he is.
“I’ve loved how Usman Khawaja has stayed in his bubble. He’s almost looked as in charge as Steve Smith did yesterday. Usman Khawaja just went from ball one in Birmingham to ball two. “My game is my show. “Come get me, because I’m not going to get you,” Pietersen told him.
At the end of Day 3, Khawaja’s score of 58 meant that Australia was still ahead going into Day 4. He is in the middle with Steve Smith, who scored a hundred in the first inning, which makes Australia’s chances even better. England, on the other hand, has a hard time making up for the big gap, and Khawaja’s great form has added even more excitement to the highly anticipated Test.