Kevin Pietersen urges Tom Banton to rework his stick, learn from Virat Kohli and not « waste his talent » | Cricket News

Kevin Pietersen urged Tom Banton not to “waste his talent” and learn from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on how to build white ball innings at the top of the order.

Banton has only reached 30 twice in seven innings opening the stick for Welsh Fire in The Hundred and former England star Pietersen believes he’s trying to score too many six.

Speaking in his role as Air sports An expert after seeing Banton caught in the depths for 36 of 20 balls against Southern Brave on Wednesday night, Pietersen said: “He needs to rework the way he works at batting. There is a big psychological change that has to take place there.

Banton scored 36 of 20 balls for Welsh Fire against Southern Brave on Wednesday night

“He has all the talent but for the moment he’s wasting it. He’s hitting way too many balls in the air. He has to learn to hit the ball on the ground, learn to hit very hard, halfway through.

“You have to watch the best players around the world. How often do they think, « Let me just hit it in the air, my release shot is a six »?

“Virat Kohli, David Warner – look at all the players in the head of the sets. They hit an extra blanket on the ground for four. How often do you see Kohli hitting a six all over the top of his innings?

In a fascinating demonstration, Pietersen offers kids the best hitting tips, including how to play on the side of the legs, where to place the feet, and how to grip the bat.

« Chris Gayle is a monster, he has a bat as heavy as us and is bombarding it all over the place, so let’s get him out of the way. »

“Banton needs to learn from others and keep the ball on the ground, know that there are gaps between defensive players. [Going for sixes] it is not the gaps that he has to fill. « 

Pietersen cited Brave captain James Vince – who hit 53 out of 39 balls against Banton’s Fire team – and Indian superstar Rohit Sharma as other examples for Banton to follow.

Watch the highlights of Southern Brave’s victory over Welsh Fire in The Hundred

“Vince didn’t go on like ‘it’s a parade to see how many spectators we can clean up’,” Pietersen added after Brave’s resounding victory over Fire, which sentenced the Welsh side to a fifth straight loss and ended his hopes of winning. play-offs.

“If the ball is there, you absolutely have the right to hit it. However, you must earn this right.

“Vince earned that right with some of the defensive shots he played, some of the spreads he hits. He cuts the ball beautifully, shoots the ball to the ground, finds the gaps.

“This is how you build a sleeve. You have no respect if you just think you can bomb everyone.

Rohit Sharma’s ability to find the gaps is something Banton can learn from, says KP

“Rohit Sharma, for India or Mumbai Indians in IPL, is so calculated in the way he does business.

“He can check the ride, is flawless with his pull shot and hits holes like no one else in the world. He cuts it in the middle of the wicket, hits it on the ground. This is where the consistency comes from.

“It’s about how you want to remember as a player. Do you want a player to be remembered who beats a few and comes out for 20 or 30?

“Banton has to ask himself what kind of player he wants to be. He’s better than that. « 

Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports by August 21.