KP advises Stokes against touring Oz
MUMBAI: Former cricketer Kevin Pietersen said that as much as he likes to see Ben Stokes ‘smash it’ on the field, he has advised the suspended England vice-captain against travelling to Australia for the upcoming Ashes 2017-18.
Stokes is currently on an indefinite suspension handed by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), after he was arrested for a night causing bodily harm to a man outside a Bristol nightclub Mbargo. Along with Stokes, Alex Hales was also suspended indefinitely.
According to cricket.com.au, Pietersen told The Sunday Times, “I can hardly watch the bit at the end, it is horrendous. That 45-second video is brutal. The more you watch it the more shocking it is. I have watched it with some influential leaders in business and the general view was, ‘you cannot represent your country with a video like that going around’. It is a view I agree with. Whether you like it or not, you become someone that people look up to. Someone that kids look up to. You cannot play for your country if you carry on like that. You cannot represent that badge. The more that you watch that video, the worse it gets.”
The former England captain says Australia will not be an ideal place for Stokes right now.
“Australia is a hostile place and I don’t think with his personality, at least from what we have seen, I just don’t think it will work in Australia. Not this time. I wanted to look for excuses because I like Stokesy and love watching him smash it,” he said.
STARC WANTS FANS TO RUFFLE STOKES
SYDNEY: Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has urged Australian fans to “get stuck into” England bad boy Ben Stokes if he makes the trip for the upcoming Ashes, calling for them to be “very loud”.
“I guess I’d love if he was out here. I’d love for the Australian crowd to get stuck into him the way the Poms (English) get stuck into our blokes over there.
FIRST SERIES DEFEAT This is Pakistan’s first series defeat at their adopted home of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in seven years. They had won five of the previous nine, with four drawn.
Pakistan were forced to play in the neutral venues of the UAE following the deadly terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.
This is also Pakistan’s first home defeat since losing to South Africa 1-0 in 2007, a series held on their grounds, and only the second whitewash in their history.
They previously suffered a 3-0 defeat against Australia, a series also played at neutral venues in Colombo and UAE in 2002.
Shafiq was the ninth man out when he edged paceman Suranga Lakmal to slip where Kusal Mendis took a low diving catch to end all Pakistan’s hopes of an upset win.
Shafiq’s 253-minute knock had 10 boundaries but he again failed to help Pakistan cross the line, just like his 137 in the lost cause against Australia at Brisbane last year.
Pakistan had looked to the overnight partnership of Shafiq and Sarfraz to guide them to the winning target after resuming at 198-5, needing another 119 for victory.
Both Shafiq and Ahmed had lucky escapes but Perera finally broke the resistance when Sarfraz was caught off a miscued sweep at deep fine leg by Nuwan Pradeep.
Shafiq brought up his hundred with a paddled sweep single off Perera and was reprieved on the same score. However, he could score only 12 after that.