KEVINPietersen has welcomed the MCC’s decision to legitimise his innovative switch-hitting shot and instead look into its implications for other laws of the game.

Since reversing his stance from a right-hander to a left-hander and launching Scott Styris for two staggering sixes during Sunday’s opening match of the NatWest Series, the cricket world has been split over whether it is a legitimate cricket shot or is unfair on both the bowler and fielding side.

Even the International Cricket Council, the world’s governing body, could not decide on the issue after discussing it at their May meeting of the cricket committee and passed it onto the MCC who govern the laws of the game.

Despite objections from traditionalists, however, the MCC agreed today to legitimise the shot but look further into both the lbw and wide laws, which are both affected by a batsman switching to an opposite stance.

It is a decision which Hampshire batsman Pietersen is delighted with and believes can only benefit cricket’s development in the future.

“I’m very pleased by the MCC’s decision and I think it’s the right one not just for me or England but the game as a whole,” Pietersen said.

“It’s important that we as players are innovative and if this shot helps make cricket more exciting and entertaining for spectators then that has to be good for the sport.

“I don’t agree with the argument that it is unfair on the bowlers.

“It’s an extremely high risk shot and there will be plenty of bowlers out there who will think that it gives them a great opportunity to get me out.

“But overall I’m glad that MCC have recognised that cricket is always evolving and that this particular shot brings something special to the game.

Working

“I’ve spent many hours in the nets working on it and I’m pleased that all the hard work is not going to go to waste.”

Today’s MCC meeting - attended by secretary and chief executive Keith Bradshaw, head of cricket John Stephenson and chairman of the cricket committee Mike Griffith - resolved that Pietersen’s innovative shot was “exciting for the game of cricket”.

Their statement continued: “The ’switch-hit’ stroke is a difficult shot to execute and that it incurs a great deal of risk for the batsman.

“It also offers bowlers a good chance of taking a wicket and therefore MCC believes that the shot is fair to both batsman and bowlers.”

But the MCC are going to further investigate the laws relating to the stance, confirming they would “continue to research and discuss these implications”, and claimed the switch-hit was no more a disadvantage for the bowler than it is the for the batsman not knowing what type of delivery he is about to face.

The statement continued: “MCC acknowledges that while bowlers must inform umpires and batsmen of their mode of delivery, they do not provide a warning of the type of delivery that they will bowl (for example, an off-cutter or a slower ball).

“It therefore concludes that the batsman should have the opportunity - should they wish - of executing the ’switch-hit’ stroke.”

It is a view which is echoed by New Zealand all-rounder Styris, who added: “Sometimes you’ve just got to take your hat off and say ’well played Kevin.’

“We all admire good cricket and that’s exactly what it was, I don’t view it in any other light - I don’t believe it’s against the spirit of the game and take my hat off to him and say nice shot.

“It crossed my mind to try it when I was out there. There’s a lot of innovation coming into the game and Kevin has taken it another step further.

“All it has done now is make me go back and rethink and, if the time comes again in that situation, I know I need to get better and come up with a new tactic.”

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