Pietersen issues rallying cry for Test cricket in MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture

Friday, 15 June 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has become the first overseas cricketer to give the MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture in India.

The retired England international said how humbling and “incredible” it was to be given the honour, following in the footsteps of Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Farokh Engineer.

During the speech, the South Africa-born batsman gave his full support to Test cricket, arguing it remains the game’s premier format. “In my humble opinion, a hard-fought five-day Test match remains the greatest all-round challenge in modern day sport,” he said. “Having played every form of cricket in every corner of the cricketing globe, I remain 100% convinced that the five-day Test remains the supreme form of the game.”

But the former England captain, who spent the back-end of his career travelling the world playing for T20 franchises, still has great respect for the shortest format of the game. He praised “the thrill, the noise, the speed and no little genius” of T20, but conceded that “it offers the cricketing buzz without the full sting”.

Pietersen ended his lecture with a message for Afghanistan’s international cricketers, who play their first Test match against India on Thursday.

“You guys are sitting on the very edge of history,” he said. “The doom mongers say this is a dying form of the game, but you have it within your grasp to keep it alive. You are representing a population of 36 million people.”