In the space of just seven words, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting emphatically shut down Kevin Pietersen and reminded cricket fans why he has one of the sharpest tongues in the game.
The pair were speaking on Sky Sports’ broadcast during the lunch break on day four of the first Ashes Test, at which point England were looking strong at 5/155 and a lead of 162.
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Pietersen lavished praise on England star Joe Root and his 55-ball innings in which he hit a reverse-scoop for six in his first few deliveries.
“He [Root] ran the game, he was pure quality and he just owned that space,” Pietersen said.
“All of this lot (the Australian team) were just scratching their heads going, ‘What do we do?’”
However, Ponting emphatically fired back and gave Pietersen a harsh dose of reality.
“Well, he’s out now,” Ponting said.
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“He got 40.”
Technically speaking, Root made 46 runs.
But given the way Pietersen went on about the 32-year-old’s second innings, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d put together a triple-figure score.
To his credit, Root was the Poms’ best performer in the first innings with a stunning score of 118 not out which included four sixes.
However, he was unable to replicate it on day four as he was stumped by Alex Carey after dancing down to wicket to take on a Nathan Lyon delivery.
