Kevin Peterson

KEVIN PETERSON
(ENGLAND CRICKET PLAYER)​

--- 'I don't go out to slog every ball or set out to intimidate'​

You seem able to shut out the outside world when you're batting. How do you achieve that? Cricket is all about preparation and mental tuning. It's how you go about it on the day and how you deal with the pressure. I know what I want to achieve each time I go out to bat, so once I've got a start, I remind myself how I want to approach it, by playing straight and doing as much as I can to get three figures.
Your technique seems unique. Where and how did it develop?
I don't really know. No one's ever coached me as such and I never played much hockey or tennis as a youngster, though I used to play a lot of courtyard cricket with my dad and my brothers. But I don't think it's that unusual - my defence is as solid as it can be. I suppose some of my shots are pretty out there, like that whippy shot they call the 'flamingo', but I just see that as a scoring option.
What about that left-handed sweep off Murali for six [pictured below]? That was hardly conventional, was it?
That was something I'd just messed about with in the nets, really. I'm not naturally ambidextrous but at that moment all my scoring options had been taken. Mid-off was covered, so was mid-on, cow corner, deep-square leg. The only way to go was over point and the best way to get there was to have a swing. I just backed myself, backed my ability, backed my eye.
Does it take courage to go ahead with such shots, when the whole world is watching?
Not really, I was already on 130 and it wasn't something I thought long and hard about. If you hit, you hit it; if you don't, you don't. But I got my body right in line with the ball, and I got my defences well-organised so that lbw was the only way I could get out. I also looked at the risk element and thought if I hit it, it's definitely a boundary. I guess the more you practise the left-handed stuff, the luckier you get.
Do you ever feel the need to curb your natural game?
Sometimes, but really that's just the way I play and I think the press are hopefully starting to take that on board. Everybody says I'll hit a six and then get out, and OK, that's happened a few times, but then there are loads of times when it hasn't happened. I hit sixes all the time and don't get out. I can take criticism so long as it's constructive. If it's not, then it's straight out the window.
How do you decide which criticism is justified and which isn't?
So long as you're a thinking cricketer who's prepared to take responsibility, then it's all good. I'm not a reckless cricketer by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a cricketer who goes out to slog every ball and I certainly don't set out to intimidate the bowlers. They back their ability, I back mine. I win some battles, I lose some battles.
What's the toughest situation you've ever faced as a batsman?
I've played in some really tough situations since I made my debut but I honestly don't think anything will ever be as bad as walking to the wicket against South Africa at The Wanderers [in January 2005]. That was a massive series for me, I was back in the country where I'd come from and I copped so much stick, all day, every day.
How do you maintain your focus at moments like that?
I had just one thing on my mind: concentrate on the white ball, nothing else. But even then I never doubted my decision to play for England.
It was still a great arena in which to do really well. If I could be successful in those circumstances, then I could handle any situation.

 

[rahul_parab2006]

KEVIN PETERSON​

--- 'I don't go out to slog every ball or set out to intimidate'​

You seem able to shut out the outside world when you're batting. How do you achieve that? Cricket is all about preparation and mental tuning. It's how you go about it on the day and how you deal with the pressure. I know what I want to achieve each time I go out to bat, so once I've got a start, I remind myself how I want to approach it, by playing straight and doing as much as I can to get three figures.
Your technique seems unique. Where and how did it develop?
I don't really know. No one's ever coached me as such and I never played much hockey or tennis as a youngster, though I used to play a lot of courtyard cricket with my dad and my brothers. But I don't think it's that unusual - my defence is as solid as it can be. I suppose some of my shots are pretty out there, like that whippy shot they call the 'flamingo', but I just see that as a scoring option.
What about that left-handed sweep off Murali for six [pictured below]? That was hardly conventional, was it?
That was something I'd just messed about with in the nets, really. I'm not naturally ambidextrous but at that moment all my scoring options had been taken. Mid-off was covered, so was mid-on, cow corner, deep-square leg. The only way to go was over point and the best way to get there was to have a swing. I just backed myself, backed my ability, backed my eye.
Does it take courage to go ahead with such shots, when the whole world is watching?
Not really, I was already on 130 and it wasn't something I thought long and hard about. If you hit, you hit it; if you don't, you don't. But I got my body right in line with the ball, and I got my defences well-organised so that lbw was the only way I could get out. I also looked at the risk element and thought if I hit it, it's definitely a boundary. I guess the more you practise the left-handed stuff, the luckier you get.
Do you ever feel the need to curb your natural game?
Sometimes, but really that's just the way I play and I think the press are hopefully starting to take that on board. Everybody says I'll hit a six and then get out, and OK, that's happened a few times, but then there are loads of times when it hasn't happened. I hit sixes all the time and don't get out. I can take criticism so long as it's constructive. If it's not, then it's straight out the window.
How do you decide which criticism is justified and which isn't?
So long as you're a thinking cricketer who's prepared to take responsibility, then it's all good. I'm not a reckless cricketer by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a cricketer who goes out to slog every ball and I certainly don't set out to intimidate the bowlers. They back their ability, I back mine. I win some battles, I lose some battles.
What's the toughest situation you've ever faced as a batsman?
I've played in some really tough situations since I made my debut but I honestly don't think anything will ever be as bad as walking to the wicket against South Africa at The Wanderers [in January 2005]. That was a massive series for me, I was back in the country where I'd come from and I copped so much stick, all day, every day.
How do you maintain your focus at moments like that?
I had just one thing on my mind: concentrate on the white ball, nothing else. But even then I never doubted my decision to play for England.
It was still a great arena in which to do really well. If I could be successful in those circumstances, then I could handle any situation.

HEY, I'M GR8 FAN OF KEVIN PIETERSEN, R U TOO???
I LIKE HIS STROKE-PLAYING ATTITUDE ALL THE TIME, LIKE TO SEE HIS BATTING TECHNIQUE, WOW ! IT'S AMAZING !
APART FROM PIETERSEN AND FLINTOFF, NO ONE WAS PLAYED WELL AGAINST INDIA LAST SERIES WHICH HELD IN INDIA SOME MONTHS AGO...THERE WAS FEAR OF PIETERSEN TO INDIAN BOWLERS...
IN THE INTERVIEW ABOVE, HE GIVEN CRACKING STATEMENTS TOO AS LIKE HIS BATTING.........................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:thnxz)

 

[gaurav200x]

Some intro of Kevin Peterson would be nice, for those who don't know him.

@Rahul - Please take care not to post sch lengthy quotes. If the post is lengthy, click on "Go Advanced" and such keep the first and the last line within the quotes.