{"id":123082,"date":"2026-05-06T21:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/alastair-cook-attacks-kevin-pietersen\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T21:07:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:07:53","slug":"alastair-cook-attacks-kevin-pietersen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/alastair-cook-attacks-kevin-pietersen\/","title":{"rendered":"Alastair Cook attacks Kevin Pietersen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has continued his war of words with former England teammate Kevin Pietersen over the impact of the IPL on an English Test player’s career. The crux of their debate centers around England and RCB’s young “starboy” Jacob Bethel.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, Bethel has become the first-choice player for England in all three formats of the game. But due to the presence of veterans like Phil Salt and Tim David, his chances in RCB have been limited.<\/p>\n

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He could have gone into county cricket instead of sitting on his ***-Alastair Cook<\/h2>\n

On the Stick to Cricket podcast, Cook suggested that if Bethel was serious enough about ensuring his place in the English Test team, he should have returned from the IPL to play for Warwickshire in the County Championship.<\/p>\n

Delhi Capitals’ Ben Duckett had withdrawn from the IPL this year to play in the County Championship and focus on his England Test career. Cook said Bethel should have followed his example instead of warming the bench for RCB.<\/p>\n

Cook’s former teammate Kevin Pietersen responded, writing, “Alastair Cook has no idea what happens in IPL. What’s it like to always be around the best players in the world? Therefore his opinion on Jacob Bethel does not matter. Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even if you’re not playing, you’re learning and will become a better player.\ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffb\u201d on his X account. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Alastair Cook has no idea what happens in IPL. What’s it like to always be around the best players in the world?
Therefore his opinion on Jacob Bethel does not matter.
Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even if you’re not playing, you’re learning and…<\/p>\n

– Kevin Pietersen\ud83e\udd8f (@KP24) APRIl 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pietersen also said, “If county cricket had been as strong as it was in the late 90s and early 2000s, I too would have wanted Bethel back to play in it now. But that is not the case. England would benefit more from him staying in India and he has shown that.”<\/p>\n

On the Sky Sports Podcast, Bethel himself responded to Cook’s comments and said that, despite his opportunities being limited, he has learned a lot from his time in India and the IPL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it. <\/span>It’s something that a lot of people don’t understand how good it is unless you’re actually around a team or a tournament.”<\/p>\n

It has a completely different feel to it. It feels like everyone subconsciously raises their game without realizing the potential of the tournament,\u201d he said at the time. He even said that the net sessions in the IPL would have arguably put more pressure on him than playing the County Championship.<\/p>\n

Jacob Bethel’s IPL career<\/h2>\n

In 2025, Bethel played 2 IPL matches, while in 2026 he played 3 matches. All 5 of these matches came when Phil Salt was injured. Last year, he scored 67 runs with one half-century in 2 matches against CSK at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of almost 172.<\/p>\n

In 2026, Bethel scored only 39 runs at an average of 13 in three matches, but he has scored 150 runs. With Phil Salt back in the UK due to a finger injury, Bethel is likely to get more game time in this year’s IPL.<\/p>\n

Sir Alastair Cook responds to Kevin Pietersen<\/h2>\n

In the latest edition of the Stick to Cricket podcast, Cook responded to Pietersen’s comments about the strength of the County Championship. Apart from Alastair Cook, the podcast features former England greats Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell and David Lloyd as panellists.<\/p>\n

When asked to respond to Pietersen’s comments, Cook said, “I can justify my point. At that time, he was not playing and last year he went to the IPL and did not play (Bethel played two matches in 2025).”<\/p>\n

“So he’s had the benefit of doing it once or twice, and I really thought, in my opinion he’s done that a little bit (by playing in the IPL), now he can really come back and play. The irony is that now, since all that has come up, he has played.”<\/p>\n

Alastair Cook talked about how learning alone would not do much for Bethel. “I get the other argument about learning, but there has to be a stage where you have to play. You can’t just learn.”<\/p>\n

He further said, “I know IPL is a great tournament, but no one will publicly say that IPL is not the place to do this. Because everyone knows that it lines their pockets.”<\/p>\n

IPL is not that good- Alastair Cook<\/h2>\n

When asked if Bethel’s franchise, RCB and the England and Wales Cricket Board could work out something between themselves to allow Bethel to come back, Cook said that was never going to happen.<\/p>\n

“They will just say that he is under contract. They have made that decision. He is our player and we will not need him for 10 games, but there is one game that he has to play because someone is injured, we have signed him,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I really understand both sides. Their argument, they signed the contract two years ago, I will honor my contract. It’s quite tough for a guy like me. I don’t know what the IPL is like, and I obviously haven’t been there, but you hear some little things and think it’s not as good as everyone says,” Cook added.<\/p>\n

Alastair Cook said, “I’m not denigrating the IPL, but nobody would say it’s terrible because they never want to upset their owners because they want another contract.”<\/p>\n

Also read: India’s Pakistan sports policy explained: Pakistani teams welcomed for ICC events in the country, bilateral ban put on hold<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n