Pietersen v McCullum

Date released: 25 June 2008

It's the battle of the big-hitters in our fourth player v player analysis ahead of the England v New Zealand one-day international at Lord's on Saturday 28 June.

Kevin Pietersen and Brendon McCullum are two of the most exciting batsmen in the game.

Pietersen's explosive top-order batting has been a highlight for England fans since his arrival in the team. McCullum's crowd-pleasing prowess was exemplified by his world-record 158* in the opening match of the Twenty20 format Indian Premier League.

The expert

Radley runs the rule over the openers Giving his expert view on the two batsmen is MCC Head Coach, Clive Radley.

'Rad' scored over 25,000 first-class runs during his cricket career.

Coincidentally his best Test score came against New Zealand - 158, McCullum's world-record and the infamous 'jinxed' number for Pietersen, on which he got stuck no fewer than three times!

Pietersen and McCullum are both talismanic players for their respective teams. Both can be match-winners and both will be targeted as key wickets by the opposition bowlers.

Kevin Pietersen

Batting stats - 74 ODIs; 6 at Lord's

^{Stats from CricInfo's StatsGuru}

Pietersen: A big crowd favourite I think the chaps on Sky call Pietersen an 'emptying the bar' player, meaning fans rush back from the watering holes to watch him bat.

Whatever you call it, people love to watch him play.

I can't talk about 'KP' without mentioning that 'switch-hit' which caused such a rumpus up at The Riverside. I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about, I thought it was brilliant.

Not only the technique, the skill and the pure strength to play the shot but the sheer audacity to try it in the first place and not just try it but to hit the ball over the rope - twice!

A lot of my young lads in the Young Cricketers scheme were keen to try it in the nets after watching him. I'm happy for them to try it but if they get out doing it in a match there'll be hell to pay!

Pietersen's been sensible about it though. Everyone was expecting him to try it every other ball after all the attention but half the benefit of the stroke is if the bowler's not expecting it. He's wise to keep it as a rare trump card to play.

I hope he tries it here at Lord's I'd love to see him do it in the flesh.

Despite all the attention he gets off the field there's no escaping that Pietersen is a great batsman on the field.

Switch-hitting aside he's got all the strokes in his armoury. Strength to hit it back down the wicket, skill to nick runs when needed and technique to play the big shots at the right times.

Trying to give a balanced analysis, as a coach I'd like him to work on his fielding a bit more. There are times when he seems to fall asleep and will dive at the ball like a toppling tree.

He's a big chap so, getting down to stop the ball, he has a long way to go but if he was a little more focused and on his toes he could be a bit sharper in the field.

Pietersen loves the big occasions though and they don't come much bigger than international games here at Lord's.

We were lucky enough to see him score a century twice in the Tests last season [against West Indies and India] and I thought he'd bust a blood vessel with his celebrations - it clearly means a great deal to him.

Like all England fans I'll be hoping we can see that celebration again on Saturday.

Brendon McCullum

Batting stats - 131 ODI matches; 0 at Lord's

^{Stats from CricInfo's StatsGuru}

McCullum: played big shots during the Test at Lord's McCullum's very similar to Pietersen in terms of temperament. Neither of them are exactly lacking in confidence.

Like Pietersen, McCullum's confidence is a real strength. He walks to the wicket with a swagger and stands so far out of his crease it makes you look twice.

That plants a few seeds of doubt in the bowlers' mind. 'Did he mean to stand that far forward?', 'Should I adjust my length?'... it gets them thinking and by the time they've decided what to do, McCullum's hit them for fours and sixes and it's too late.

The last player v player comparison I did was the openers, Ian Bell v Jamie How and I said perhaps How suffered as a result of the lack of experience in his team-mates.

I think McCullum could be a victim of the same thing. Just a few months ago he was a wicket-keeper, who came in to bat at around six or seven and had a bit of a dash.

As a result of his own success he's been moved further and further up the order. At Trent Bridge, they gave the gloves to Hopkins and he batted as high as three.

In the one-day game he opens for New Zealand with Gareth Hopkins behind the stumps. It's a tough call as he can be an unbelievable 'keeper but does it hinder his batting?

Apparently he's carrying a back injury and he took that hefty blow on the forearm in the Test match here in May. He's almost made himself too valuable to the Black Caps to risk behind the stumps.

McCullum's weakness? He can be too gung-ho for his own good. He's like a slugger boxer, if he goes down, he'll go down swinging: skying one to a fielder; or swinging and missing and losing his middle stump. It's great to watch - unless you're his captain.

The verdict

For a one-day game I'd have to go with Pietersen. He's an absolutely thrilling batsman to have in your team and judging by his three-wicket haul against my old county, Middlesex in the Twenty20, he still fancies himself as a spinner too.

If it were for a Test match McCullum's brilliance behind the stumps would be a big factor in the decision but in the one day game I think Pietersen has the edge.

They're both wonderful to watch but Pietersen has, I think, learned to curb his enthusiasm when needed. I'm not sure McCullum knows how to reign himself in, or if he'd want to.

What do you think? Would you pick Pietersen over McCullum? If not, why not? Send us your comments and opinions, we'll publish the best ones: live@lords.org

Next up

MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson takes a look at some of the key all-rounders on show.

Read it exclusively, on Lords.org on Thursday.