KP targets Ashes glory

Eurosport - Tue, 12 Aug 10:54:00 2008

Kevin Pietersen welcomed in his new England captaincy era with a win and boldly predicted Ashes success with a repeat performance.

2008 England Kevin Pietersen Andrew Strauss - 0

Pietersen, 28, was named man of the match for the six-wicket victory in a dead rubber at the end of the npower series against South Africa at the Brit Oval.

Captaincy has immediately turned his thoughts to tougher tasks, however, and how he will shape his team for the challenge of meeting Australia over five Tests next summer.

His initial thoughts revolve around maintaining the attacking zest of fast bowler Steve Harmison in a five-man bowling unit.

"If we play like we played this week we will beat Australia," Pietersen said, on a day England dropped one place to fifth in the official Test rankings.

"But it is going to take a lot to do it.

"The structure, the players we've got, the type of attack we have now, the way we have gone about the game every single day, the emotions the guys showed, it is certainly not far away from a perfect start and the way I want to play the cricket in the future.

"I have done a lot of thinking over the last few days.

"You do find yourself thinking about the game more and different scenarios.

"I have certainly done some thinking about Australia next year, a lot more than I would have when I was a player

"Because you want to get the structure right, so guys can play in certain positions, feel comfortable, know their role and deliver.

"It will be important over the next nine months to learn their roles and then deliver.

"My main driving force for this team is to be, every single day, up for the challenge of improving, having no comfort zones and testing the guys out to perform every single day.

"One area we will need to improve on is our batting, that is an area of concern and something we need to do."

Harmison, back for the Test summer finale after being axed for eight Tests, provided hostility with the new ball, claimed four top-order wickets and struck a career-best 49 not out.

"He came back in after a time out and he was magnificent," said Pietersen.

"When I told Steve he was playing, I told him I wanted him to bowl fast, to bowl straight and to be the old Steve Harmison.

"I gave him the extra responsibility of getting runs at nine. He said he would do his best and his best was good enough for me this week.

"We've seen this week how important he's going to be for us - he's a huge player.

"I am going to be looking after Steve as much as I can but also making sure I get the best out of him. I think I know the sort of ways to do it."

So highly does Pietersen value the Durham paceman, in fact, that he asked him to come out of one-day retirement at lunch on the fifth day, which England took at 109 without loss on their way to a 197-run target.

"He said he would see but the travel has always been the problem for Steve, being away from his family," Pietersen added.

"I respect the man for the decisions he makes but it would be lovely to have him coming in first change with the white ball. Having said that, you don't always get what you want."

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, a man who captained Harmison in a Test match in Australia three years ago, acknowledged that the old menace seemed to be back.

"Obviously they left Steve out for a reason and they wanted to see him prove himself, that he was worth bringing back," Smith said.

"If he bowls like he has bowled in this Test match then he is going to be an asset for England.

"He has a good record and if they are going to pick their team like this then he has got to play."

South Africa were presented with the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy for their first series win on these shores since 1965.

But the day belonged to England and Pietersen, who hit 100 in the first innings, and maintained South Africa's 13-game winless streak at The Oval.

"Whatever I say I don't want to take anything away from England's victory," Smith said.

"I think they were motivated and played the better cricket in the game."

Sporting Life / Eurosport

Comment 1 - 18 of 18

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  1. baobabjim
    The ashes IS all important, the others sre­ interesting, but the ashes is The competition. I hope­ KP is correct - we need to win, it will take a­ superhuman effort, the Aussies are top dogs.
    Good­ luck
    RAH

    From rah2312, on Mon 18 Aug 6:13PM

  2. The Ashes is an historical fixture between Aus and Eng­ played bi-annually. So yes, it is an important­ competition between the two nations, but it is not the­ be-all and end-all of cricket. To focus soley on this­ clash is akin to putting all your eggs in one basket.­ As someone pointed out, there are other leading cricket­ nations to be beaten first and, consistently, to earn­ cricket's top accolades. Australia is one team who­ have been able to do it. South Africa is winning more­ consistently. Perhaps that is why these two are 1 and 2­ in the rankings and England only languish in 5th.
    The­ over focus on the Ashes is highlighted by the team­ being awarded MBE’s in 2005 for a one-off brilliant­ result, but they were promptly thrashed to 0 a year­ later. Should they give their MBE's and OBE's­ back?
    KP I am sure would be keen to regain the Ashes­ in 2009, but to start spouting about it now when there­ is such a long way to go is getting a little ahead of­ himself methinks.

    From baobabjim, on Tue 12 Aug 11:12AM

  3. yeah cmon england we can do it we can win the ashes all­ we have to do is win lots of games just keep the­ winning mentality a think we will win all the games we­ can england are the best.

    ­ ENGLAND

    From Ali, on Tue 12 Aug 10:51AM

  4. jimig333, shame, I am as white as they come...mate.­ Typical of the priveledged in the Western world. You DO­ NOT OWN cricket, it is a world sport if you haven't­ forgotten and England - Australia do not make the­ epitome of cricketing excellence, no one outside of­ England actually care about the English cricket side­ but your really @#$% side are made out to be God's­ after a one test win...how pathetic and diplays your­ SMALL island mentality where all news to you only makes­ up what is happening locally...

    From glennrosslee, on Tue 12 Aug 10:25AM

  5. aaron.lockyer, I do believe the rubbish team infact­ lost the series...

    From glennrosslee, on Tue 12 Aug 10:18AM

  6. glennrosslee another sap with his head in the sand­ there. ask Bob Woolmers wife mate.

    From jimbob333, on Tue 12 Aug 10:14AM

  7. WTF are you on jimig333??? With that attitude then the­ race card is justified by all the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS­ that play cricket in these poor countries! English =­ passion at cricket??? You must be joking, right? Their­ passion is the same as hot and cold, it's there­ then it's not...

    From glennrosslee, on Tue 12 Aug 9:49AM

  8. "If we play like we played this week we will beat­ Australia". Is this guy an idiot??? OK so they won­ a dead rubber test (which they are very, very good at­ winning) but they lost a test series to bloody South­ Africa. Australia will win the ashes easily. EASILY.­ Hayden, Ponting, Hussey, M Clarke, Symonds are all­ better batsmen than all bar one England player, and Lee­ and Mitchell Johnson are better bowlers than all of­ Englands. Plus they know how to win and keep doing it­ time and time again. England will need 5 days of good­ weather to even go close to drawing a test match­ against Australia, but we all know Australia quite­ often finish theirs in 3 days. Don't get too far­ ahead of yourself, KP. You won 1 dead rubber against a­ rubbish team.

    From Aaron L, on Tue 12 Aug 9:48AM

  9. We needed change and KP is different. Give him a chance­ please before you jump on his back.

    Sport is about­ competing not taking part. KP competes. If he can­ instill that mentality in all our cricketers, we may­ improve. It may even rub off onto other sports.

    Lets­ see some competing including a bit a 'verbal'.

    From gareth_neal, on Tue 12 Aug 9:37AM

  10. ask any cricket fan suresh. its all about the ashes!­ the rest of the cricketing nations are cheats! the poms­ and aussies play with pride and passion. other teams i­ could mention try to reap the rewards by obvious­ cheating,or by pulling out the race card! we all know­ it happens but its politically correct to sweep these­ issues under the carpet. no wonder international­ cricket is suffering.

    From jimbob333, on Tue 12 Aug 9:24AM

  11. ask any cricket fan suresh. its all about the ashes!­ the rest of the cricketing nations are cheats! the poms­ and aussies play with pride and passion. other teams i­ could mention try to reap the rewards by obvious­ cheating,or by pulling out the race card! we all know­ it happens but its politically correct to sweep these­ issues under the carpet. no wonder international­ cricket is suffering.

    From jimbob333, on Tue 12 Aug 9:24AM

  12. Good to see the English not getting carried away then!­ Correct me if I'm wrong but this prediction is made­ on the back of winning a dead rubber test match after­ having already lost the series. Suddenly that is a­ barometer for winning the Ashes. The Ashes being a­ series England have only one once in the past two­ decades (and that win being 2-1 at home and in one of­ the closest series in living memory). The most recent­ of Ashes encounters where England were soundly thrashed­ 5-0.

    From Peter H, on Tue 12 Aug 9:14AM

  13. The BEST and MOST INTERESTING video on the internet­ (guaranteed!):

    metacafe(DOT)com/watch/1434951/airbus_a­ 380_take_off/

    Don't forget to replace the­ "(DOT)" with a period ;)

    From century.is102, on Tue 12 Aug 8:57AM

  14. Well done KP - like many Engand supporters, the only­ cricket series he can think of is Ashes. Is there no­ other team the English cricket play (and may be lose­ to!) before the next Ashes series?

    Suresh

    From suresh.aggarwal, on Tue 12 Aug 8:17AM

  15. well done england! good to see. but lets not get­ carried away here. we're still not a fully rounded­ squad. i do hope we stuff the aussies 5-0 though!!

    From jimbob333, on Tue 12 Aug 7:40AM

  16. Pietersen is saying all the right things, good luck to­ him, he seems to know what he's doing with­ Harmison.

    From ANDREW S, on Tue 12 Aug 7:07AM

  17. well done... the feeling is similar to I chatting with­ a nude girl at ( naturistmeet *COM )...SO EXCITING!

    From sexymadana, on Tue 12 Aug 6:47AM

  18. Well done - now keep upn the winning habit.

    From beryll, on Mon 11 Aug 11:07PM
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