Kevin Pietersen reveals the five best bowlers he played with or against

One of the most stylish and elegant batsmen to have graced the gentleman’s game, Kevin Pietersen retired from professional cricket with his last match in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). After his stint in the PSL, the legendary English batsman said that this will be his final cricketing assignment, with a picture of his boots hanging on his official Twitter handle.

Pietersen will always be revered for his audacity and perseverance in difficult circumstances. He played some unbelievable knocks throughout his career, his ton against India at the Wankhede remaining at the top. On a track which offered a lot of grip for the spinners, Pietersen hung in and played an innings of a lifetime.

There are many such instances where he single-handedly rode through the opponents with his tenacity. After bringing down the curtains on such an illustrious career, KP took some time to sit back and recollect few of the finest bowlers he ever had to tackle in an interview with Cricket Australia. This list included the bowlers he played with and against in the last decade or more.

Shane Warne – the best I’ve faced: KP

Not many surprises with the name that topped this elite list. Shane Warne, according to Pietersen, was the finest bowler he ever faced. One of the legends of the game, Warne ripped apart defences with his impeccable wrist spin and is the second highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket.

Second on the list is another immortal of the game, the Lankan wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. Not just Pietersen, Murali managed to trouble every batsman of that era and with his canny and subtle changes, he was quite a force to reckon with.

One big surprise on this list is Mohammad Asif, who stands third. The former Pakistani fast bowler who was banned from International cricketer due to spot-fixing was touted as the next big thing in cricket around a decade ago. His pace and swing got the better of many iconic batters and KP paid him this huge compliment as one of the toughest he’s ever faced.

Fourth and fifth on this list are two bowlers who relied only on their skill to excel. James Anderson, undoubtedly the finest bowler of this generation, takes the fourth spot. Anderson played a lot of cricket with Pietersen for England. Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan takes the fifth spot and the 37-year-old rated him ahead of the likes of Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath.

Here’s the video of Pietersen rating the best bowlers he’s ever tackled:

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