‘Batting Today is easier’ than 20-25 years ago: after Kevin Peterson, Joe Record-Breaking Knock vs. India | Cricket news
New Delhi: England Batting Legend Kevin Peterson has ignited the latest debate in cricketing circles, claiming that today batting is much easier than two to three decades ago. According to Peterson, a noticeable dip in the quality of bowling in testing countries has simplified life for modern batsmen.Joe Root crossed Ricky Ponting of Australia only to move to second place in the all -time list of Test Run Scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar. Taking X (East Twitter) on Saturday, Peterson wrote:“Don’t shout at me, but batting these days is easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice back!”Known for his bold personality and both out of the field, Peterson – who played 104 tests for England between 2005 and 2013 and scored an average of 8,181 runs on an average – never away from expressing strong views. This time, he doubled the argument, pointing to a star-stamped list of bowlers from the past, arguing that modern sports lack comparable threats.“Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Clusner, Guff, McGrath, Li, Warne, Gilespie, Bond, Veterori, Care, Vas, Murali, Curtley, Courtney and List.“I have named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers who can compare the names above?”
Peterson’s comments come at a time when batting records are released. In Manchester, 150 not out of the route against India at 3 on the fourth Test day, has now taken his career to 11,736 Test runs – Tendulkar’s monumental in clinning at 15,921.
While many people have appreciated the continuity and nature of the batsmen in the present era, Peterson’s comments have reopened the discussion about how much flat pitches, changed rules and fading bowling firepower have contributed to the batting numbers.
