CricketArchive

Pietersen happy with positive start
by CricketArchive Staff Reporter


Player:KP Pietersen, A Flintoff
Event:Australia in British Isles 2009

DateLine: 9th July 2009

 

Kevin Pietersen said that England are quite satiated with their first day performance against Australia at Cardiff.

 

Although the side lost Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Matt Prior late in the evening session, the hosts finished on 336 for seven when stumps were drawn.

 

The former skipper suggested England should be sated keeping in consideration their past two starts to series against Australia.

 

Back in 2005, Glenn McGrath ran amok to dismantle the top order at Lord's and Ricky Ponting's team piled up the runs in Brisbane to dominate the opening hours of 2006-07.

 

"In the previous two Ashes series we've played, one successful and one not so successful, Australia dominated the first day," Pietersen, who top-scored with 69, said.

 

"At Lord's four years ago we bowled pretty well but McGrath knocked most of our batters over and they knocked us over cheaply in Australia and we didn't have the best day with the ball to start off with.

 

"I could be greedy and the team could be greedy and say we'd like to be four or five down and maybe myself and Paul Collingwood missed out on opportunities to get a really big score, but the way the last two Ashes series have gone we'll take 336 for seven."

 

Pietersen was quite disappointed with the way he got out but said that there is nothing once you get out in such bizarre manner.

 

"When you get out, you're out and there's nothing you can do about it," he said.

 

"It was unfortunate to hit the ball onto my helmet - if it hadn't hit my helmet it would have gone down to fine leg and I would have got away with it.

 

"I don't think I pre-empted what I was doing, I think I played pretty similar to the way I played all day, but he (Hauritz) probably thought I was going to play that shot and tried to outfox me."

 

Pietersen found an ally in Australian coach Tim Nielsen, who later said that this is the only way KP kknows to play.

 

"That's just the way he plays.

 

"He tends to take the game on and he was pretty keen not to let our spinners settle.

 

"He swept 15 times in the innings beforehand and played them all quite well. "If a guy nicks a cover drive you don't tell him to stop cover driving, if he misses a sweep shot that's the way it goes sometimes."

 

Pietersen was also excited at the prospect of spin duo Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann working in tandem later in the contest.

 

"The promising thing is that Nathan Hauritz is spinning it off the straight," he said. "On day one to spin it off the straight is pretty interesting.

 

"Not many Test wickets spin off the straight on day one and the ends have certainly roughed and dusted up quite a bit.

 

"There is a lot of dust and foot-holes to work with. That keeps us smiling.

 

"One great thing was how positive we all played. We're here, we want to compete this summer in a very big way," the enterprising batsman added.

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