Ben Stokes trolls Kevin Pietersen over IPL Playoff remarks
Ben Stokes has responded to Kevin Pietersen's beer jibe by posting a video of the English team training in Spain on Instagram. Pietersen had tweeted his disappointment over ECB's decision to recall Stokes and Jos Buttler before the playoffs of the cash-rich Indian Premier League.
Having been bought by the Rising Pune Supergiant for a mammoth sum of Rs. 14.5 crore at this year’s player auction, a lot was expected of Stokes. And the Englishman did not disappoint as he shone with both ball and bat, scoring 316 runs in 12 matches and also picked up 12 wickets in the process.
In fact, Stokes’ efforts were a major factor in Pune's run to the playoffs, despite a slow start to their season, However, unfortunately for Pune, Stokes was called back from the IPL after Pune’s last league game against Punjab, to take part in a training camp in Spain ahead of the upcoming South African series and the Champions Trophy.
As a result of this, Stokes did not feature in Pune’s 20 run win over Mumbai in the first of the playoff games last night and Stokes’ compatriot who was commentating on the game tweeted his disappointment at the same.
Absolutely PATHETIC that @benstokes38 & @josbuttler have to go drink a few beers in Spain instead of playing IPL finals!
— KP (@KP24) May 14, 2017
While Pietersen might have expected Stokes to be grateful for his comments, the former ended up being trolled by the all-rounder in a video Stokes posted on his Instagram account.
Ben Stokes took a dig at Kevin Pietersen for his comments about leaving early? (via Instagram) pic.twitter.com/PdXymr0aDM
— Ankit Mishra (@editedidea) May 17, 2017
Clearly, Stokes’ response shows that he prioritizes playing for his country as opposed to the IPL and he doesn’t regret giving up the latter for the former. England will definitely be pleased with the 26-year old's commitment to the national team as his performances will go a long way in deciding whether England can break their ICC tournament jinx and win a 50 over format event for the first time. England