"There aren't many better Batters than him in England" - Kevin Pietersen names IPL star deserve to play Test for England
The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League is underway, and there are many players from across the globe that are playing in the cash-rich league at the moment. Jos Buttler, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Aaron Finch, and Moeen Ali are some big international stars. However, there is another player that has made an impact this season. That is none other than English all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who is representing the Punjab Kings in the ongoing season.
He has impressed many ex-cricketers with his power-hitting and consistency. Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has also been impressed with the 28-year-old and has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to let him make his Test debut in the upcoming homeseries against New Zealand. The English team will host the Kiwis for the red-ball series starting on June 2, and with the transition in the England team, Pietersen wants that Harry Brook should also be given a chance in the series.
Livingstone has already made his white-ball debut for England and has done a good job. He has scored 285 and 74 runs in 17 T20Is and 3 ODIs in his career so far. Notably, he is known for his big hitting, and he scores at 158.33 and 112.13, respectively. He has also scored 293 runs so far this season at an average and strike rate of 32.55 and 186.62, respectively.
On the other hand, Harry Brook is in sublime form in the ongoing County Championship Division 2022. He is currently representing Yorkshire and is the leading run-scorer for his team. Harry has scored 512 runs at an incredible average of 170.66 in five innings, including two centuries and three half-centuries. According to a media report to mirror.co.uk, Brook made his white-ball debut for England in January and had a solid performance at first-class level.
In the most recent cricket blog, Piertersen wrote in praise of Livingstone. He said that he liked the way the 28-year-old played his game and that his free-flowing attitude makes him a great batter as he likes to entertain. The former England skipper also said that the all-rounder loves handling pressure situations and is doing a great job with the Punjab Kings. Pietersen also added, "There aren’t many better batters than him in England, I tell you. I would have him straight in the Test side at five or six. He can change the nature of a match very quickly by taking bowling attacks apart."
He also stated that there might be some situations where Livingstone might fail as well, but if he gets going, then the opposition will not have any chance. Pietersen also named Harry Brook as another candidate for the maiden Test cap. He said that Brook had already started the English summer brilliantly, so he also deserved a chance as well.
The former England skipper pointed to the new England men’s cricket managing director, Rob Key, and said that Rob and I are on the same page about choosing the right set of players and, hopefully, the selectors will play the right players for the upcoming Test series.