South African former cricket player and now commentator Kevin Pietersen has taken to X, formerly Twitter, in a bizarre post that many interpreted to be a reference to crime rates in London.
“Gotta go into London today,” the former cricket star wrote, adding: “NO WATCH and a plastic ring! Congrats, @SadiqKhan!”
Shared at 9.15am on Tuesday, April 9, the post quickly racked up well over three million views – as well as over three thousand comments and reactions down below.
Presumably, Kevin meant to imply that a watch or any expensive jewellery would have been pickpocketed in London, tagging mayor Sadiq Khan as a half-joking jab.
Gotta go into London today.
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) April 9, 2024
NO WATCH and a plastic ring!
Congrats, @SadiqKhan ! 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/5f6oSVuV5S
A few hours later, Kevin posted an update alongside a photo of himself in the capital, writing: “In London and having the most wonderful day. This city is absolutely incredible. Congrats, @SadiqKhan!”
UPDATE!
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) April 9, 2024
In London and having the most wonderful day.
This city is absolutely incredible.
Congrats, @SadiqKhan! 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/F8Rp2jA4oM
This update may have been posted in the furore of the replies left on the original tweet, with many taking to X to poke fun or disagree with Kevin’s original comment.
Many social media users were downright confused about what Kevin meant by his initial post, with one person writing: “What a weird thing to tweet.”
Others pointed out that it seemed unlikely that the cricketer usually wears a watch, noting: “Strange no tan line for the watch.”
“Careful, we’re also a big fan of plastic rings!” joked another X user, while someone else added: “I once wore a belt and was mugged within 30 seconds. I daren’t even use hair gel as the youths steal it for their mulletos.”
“Heading into London, you know what that means, time to @ Sadiq Khan attacking him for a crime that hasn't happened,” wrote another person.
Cutting through all the reactions, one person pointed out the real takeaway from the whole post: ”I know this tweet is enraging a lot of people, and quite rightly too because it's ridiculous. However, let's not overlook the fact that this man owns a plastic ring. I repeat, A PLASTIC RING.
“That's the sort of thing you win in a 2p arcade machine.”
Sadiq Khan himself has not yet replied to the post.
