KP hails emerging English stars by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	KP Pietersen, RS Bopara, SCJ Broad
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 2nd June 2009

 

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen believes that England's recent display has shown they are now capable of performing even without their leading players.

 

Pietersen believes England's performance in his absence this summer has shown they are now a good side.

 

The right-hander is now preparing to make his first appearance since helping England secure a 2-0 Test series triumph over the West Indies at Chester-le-Street. He was down with a troublesome Achilles injury which had ruled him out of the one-day series which followed.

 

His absence was then added to by the loss of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who is yet to recover from a knee operation he had undergone a month ago.

 

Pietersen is set to make his comeback in Tuesday's ICC World Twenty20 tournament warm-up match against Scotland at Trent Bridge.

 

"I've actually been quite annoyed when people have said the likes of Ravi (Bopara) are my rivals to counter the Australians.

 

"I am with Ravi all day every day, I love the bloke, his confidence, the way he plays without fear, the way he talks about things and the way he doesn't worry - I love his approach and it's something a lot of the players can learn from.

 

"(Stuart) Broad has been exceptional, Matty Prior is somebody who has improved so much as well and James Anderson produced a brilliant display at Durham the other day - I don't care who you are, you're not playing that sort of bowling well. England are not relying on one or two players.

 

"If you look at Australia during their good times, if (Matthew) Hayden didn't perform, (Adam) Gilchrist did, and the best thing about what's happening now is that if I fail like I did when I got a first-baller at Lord's, we still got a decent total."

 

England though will be relieved that KP's right Achilles tendon problem has improved to such a degree that he will be available for the three weeks of the World Twenty20.

 

Pietersen has been working with former athletics coach Mark Young, who is now the England and Wales Cricket Board's head of physiotherapy. Young has previously worked with top athletes including Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt.

 

"He said this Achilles injury is something he has seen on a daily basis in athletics so he could diagnose it and see what the problem was straight away," enthused Pietersen.