• West Indies in England 2012

Pietersen: I never doubted Strauss

ESPN staff
May 23, 2012
Kevin Pietersen witnessed Andrew Strauss' century first hand © PA Photos
Enlarge

Kevin Pietersen insists he never doubted Andrew Strauss would find a way out of his batting slump after seeing the England captain score his first Test century for almost 18 months.

Strauss' first-innings 122 helped the hosts beat West Indies by five wickets at Lord's and went some way to silence his critics.

But having gone without a Test century from March 2009 to December 2010, Pietersen admitted he sympathised with the pressure Strauss was under and was delighted to be at the crease to witness the opening batsman's ton.

"I never doubted him, most definitely," Pietersen said. "Strauss is a fantastic guy and I was more happy for him scoring that hundred than I have been for any other team-mate when they have scored a hundred. I loved the fact that he did that.

"I have been through a period where I didn't score a hundred for a while and since then I have scored many. This sort of thing just happens. Someone is going to get criticised. That's just what happens in our job.

"He is a great bloke who had scored 19 Test hundreds and has captained England to home and away Ashes series. It was brilliant for English cricket that he got a hundred."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices