Former England cricketer-turned-commentator Kevin Pietersen has criticised opener Ben Duckett for saying that he doesn't care about the ODI series loss to India as soon as they go on to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While Pietersen said that context is important while reading what Duckett said after the defeat in second ODI, he feels that the opener should not have said those words.
"Goodness me, it’s pretty poor that Duckett would say that he doesn’t care if England lose today and lose 3-0 to India," Pietersen wrote on X on February 12.
"Context is important when reading quotes, but those words should NOT have been said!
"NEVER!"
Duckett had said that it is about peaking at the the right time. He indicated that the result of the bilateral series will not matter to England as they choose to look at the positives.
"We have come here for one thing and that is to win the Champions Trophy. If we lose 3-0 to India, I don't care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy. It's about peaking at the right time. We've been close against India and been nowhere near our best. We will always take positives," Duckett had told Sky Sports after comprehensive defeat in Cuttack.
Pietersen slammed England batters' ODI approach
Earlier, Pietersen had questioned England batters' lack of hunger to score big hundreds after playing themselves in. He said this while commentating as England squandered a good start and failed to post a big total on the board.
“It seems to me there’s just a lack of hunger and a lack of desire to go and get that 130, 140. That’s what’s missing," Pietersen said on Star Sports. “Like, it’s just too easy. Get 40, get 50, get 60. That’s cool. Everything’s fine. Got my 50, got my 60. I’ll probably play the next game. If I don’t, I’ll have the day off and go and play golf, and I’m gonna do what I like. It just seems to me like they’re just lacking that bit of something that says, ‘Hey, man, come on. Let’s get that 100, let’s get that 130.’ This team here should be scoring 350 today."
He also lauded Joe Root who was picked in the squad after missing a few series since ODI World Cup 2023. He backed Root to get big runs for England.
“It could have been Joe Root, yes, it could have. But then you have a look at what Duckett did. Should it have been Duckett? Could it have been Duckett? Yeah, absolutely. Root is quality. I’m not gonna for one second, stand here and start saying, ‘Joe Root, Joe Root, Joe Root.’ I’m only gonna talk about how good he is and how great he is, because at the end of the day, without Root, goodness me, where would we be? So he turns up, he misses out the other evening, he wasn’t gonna miss out tonight. And I know. Having spent a lot of time with Root, he burns, and that will absolutely kill him that he’s got out for 60. I’m not so sure getting out for 60 burns the other players," he added.
Meanwhile, pacer Mark Wood has urged his teammates to move on from the series defeat and focus on the Champions Trophy 2025.