"Once you get into playing the Ashes then it's tough, it's grueling"- Kevin Pietersen on playing with injuries

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen claimed that many cricketers push themselves to play through pain and niggles, especially for big games like the Ashes Tests.

England captain Ben Stokes bowled an incredibly long spell of 12 overs on Day 4 of the ongoing Lord's Test. However, he did look in a bit of discomfort in the field and Pietersen felt the all-rounder was pushing himself for the team.

Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket's Ashes Podcast, here's what Kevin Pietersen had to say about injuries and niggles:

"Players play with pain. There's no player on the park that I feel is not playing with a niggle. Once you get into playing the Ashes then it's tough, it's grueling."

Pietersen also credited Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon for walking out to bat despite a strained calf muscle. He added:

"I think Mitchell Johnson had broken Graeme Smith's hand and Smith had walked out to bat when South Africa needed something to happen for them. It (Lyon) was reminiscent of that. There have been some heroic moments in Ashes history and it is up there."

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Eoin Morgan on Kevin Pietersen's observation about Nathan Lyon

Former England cricketer Eoin Morgan was also present in the discussion and he felt that Australia were a bit concerned about the runs they had and that's why they sent Nathan Lyon to bat.

Morgan also shed light on Kevin Pietersen's interesting argument that the visitors might have looked for a concussion substitute had Lyon been hit on his helmet with a bouncer. On this, he stated:

"There was a lot of time left in the game and they (Australia) were possibly worried about it. Kevin spoke about the upside of the possibility of him getting hit and the possibility of a concussion replacement. Whether they looked at that, who knows?"

Morgan also hailed Lyon for playing the short ball well despite being injured. He added:

"Huge amount of courage from Nathan Lyon. Batters have struggled to play the short ball on two feet and he is there playing it on one foot (laughs). He played them the best, so kudos to him."

England still need 258 more runs to win and have just six wickets in hand. Australia will be keen to strike early on Day 5 to ensure the Bazball ideology doesn't script another memorable chase.