Former England star Kevin Pietersen ignited a lively debate on social media after claiming that Test batting 20–25 years ago was “twice as hard back then” compared to today. Taking to X (formerly), the 45-year-old backed his argument by listing 22 legendary bowlers from that era and challenged fans to name 10 modern-day bowlers who could match up.
“Waqar [Younis], Shoaib [Akhtar], [Wasim] Akram, [Saqlain] Mushtaq, [Anil] Kumble, [Javagal] Srinath, Harbhajan [Singh], [Allan] Donald, [Shaun] Pollock, [Lance] Klusener, [Darren] Gough, [Glenn] McGrath, [Brett] Lee, [Shane] Warne, [Jason] Gillespie, [Shane] Bond, [Daniel] Vettori, [Chris] Cairns, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Murali[tharan], Curtley [Ambrose], Courtney [Walsh] and the list could go on and on… I’ve named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?” Pietersen wrote.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!However, his comments didn’t sit well with everyone. Fellow former England captain Michael Vaughan took a firm stand against Pietersen’s viewpoint during a discussion on Sony Sports Network.“I think he’s talking nonsense,” said Vaughan. “I have looked at the last six or seven years closely. You look at the Indian seamers now, they are as good as they ever had. You look at the Australian attack, that trio that Australia had, it is as good as they have had.”Vaughan further defended the current generation of bowlers from across the globe, pointing to their quality and the level of competition in recent years.“You go to South Africa, Rabada and Jansen. You go to New Zealand, Boult, Southee. I’ve loved the last few years of Test match cricket because it has been competitive. I think this era of batting, I don’t think it has been any easier than any other era. I think there’s some wonderful bowlers around.”Pietersen’s tweet may have been meant to spark conversation, but it’s clear he got more than he bargained for.
