While cricketers are susceptible to criticism from pundits and fans alike there’s no denying that they don’t get affected by it. The bitter row between Ravindra Jadeja and Sanjay Manjrekar was one such example after the commentator called him a “bits and pieces player”. And now England captain Eoin Morgan seems to have a beef with Kevin Pietersen.
A day after Morgan termed the 39-year-old’s comments as “not good for a team environment” ahead of their World Cup semi-final clash against Australia, Pietersen has responded.
Pietersen, who works as a broadcaster, has been vocal about his criticism of the England team and Morgan on many instances at the ongoing tournament.
The former England skipper had earlier said that Morgan looked scared of facing Mitchell Starc and that he had not seen such a captain “show such weakness” for a while during their group-stage defeat against Australia.
And while his comments initially took Morgan by surprise, he wasn’t happy when asked about the jibe during a press conference.
On the eve of their semi-final, Morgan suggested that Pietersen remarks were not in “best interest of the team”.
“When Kevin Pietersen comes out with a comment, it’s very similar to comments I address from Geoffrey Boycott,” Morgan was quoted as saying by the BBC.
“They are not ones that are considered good for a team environment and don’t take the best interests of the team or the player at heart. Guys are trying their heart out to do well for their country, trying to learn, trying to get better,” he added.
However, Pietersen soon hit back in a tweet on Thursday saying he can’t just be all praise for the hosts as a cricket pundit.
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