Warne blames Pietersen's ego for shot by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

---

Player:	SK Warne, KP Pietersen
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

---

DateLine: 13th July 2009

 

Shane Warne has given Kevin Pietersen's unconventional paddle sweep in the opening Ashes Test a new name, calling it an 'ego shot'.

 

The Australian spin legend said the England batsman should have avoided "to put the team first, not himself".

 

Before getting dismissed of the shot, Pietersen was going great guns at 69 but he suddenly stretched to play a pre-determined paddle sweep from way outside off-stump off Nathan Hauritz and the ball brushed his helmet before Simon Katich completing the 'brain snap' dismissal in the England first innings in Cardiff.

 

"You have to be careful not to overcriticise. Any batsman can get out. What matters is the way they get out, because that reveals their thought processes about batting. It seemed that Pietersen just wanted to keep playing sweep shots against Hauritz. To me, that is an ego shot," Warne said.

 

"I think Pietersen, too, just gets bored. That is where hunger comes in. He prepares better than anybody for games, but he has to put the team first, not himself," he wrote in 'The Times'.

 

The former Aussie leggie though has no doubt that Pietersen has all that is required to become the best batsman in the world. He only advised him to shun his ego to be more effective on the ground.

 

"There is no doubt to me that he can be the best batsman in the world. He has so much talent, but the best players have that determination to make big scores and don't make silly mistakes. There was a great example of what I mean at Cardiff," Warne said. . Warne said he is reminded of former team mate Mark Waugh seeing Pietersen's unconventional shots.

 

"He (Pietersen) reminds me of Mark Waugh. 'Junior' (of the Waugh siblings) was another who found batting so easy that he sometimes got out in ways that looked horrible, like reverse-sweeping Phil Tufnell."