England Batsman Kevin Pietersen Faces Acid Test in Ashes Series

The tongues have started to wag again as the Ashes fever starts to grip the cricketing world. England batsman Kevin Pietersen is at the center of the debate.

Former Australian coach John Buchanan termed Pietersen a disruptive influence and Rick Ponting added spice to the topic by indicating that the England middle order is shaky. Unsurprisingly, the Australians are employing this ploy to sow seeds of doubt in the right-handed batsman’s mind.

Pietersen has rejoined his old team in South Africa, Kwa-Zulu Natal, for a short stint, in a bid to find some form ahead of the all important Ashes series. However, it remains to be seen the benefits he eventually carries to Australia.

Five seasons back, he blazed his way into the test arena against Australia and looked an exciting prospect capable of decimating bowling attacks around the world. Since then, the times have changed. A lot has been said about the tapered form of Kevin Pietersen in the last 18 months.

Pietersen’s last ton came against the West Indies at Port of Spain in March 2009. The indifferent form with the bat has continued to haunt the maverick batsman amidst injuries. Of late, he has developed a peculiar habit of going far too across the line of the bowl and becoming a candidate for leg before decisions.

It is no secret that Pietersen is a strong character and trusts his own ways to tackle the issues. He has seen the worst, after apparently being asked to resign by the England Cricket Board (ECB) over the row with then England coach Peter Moores.

A year later, the bright spot came as Pietersen took the center stage and helped England win their first-ever major ICC tournament. He was adjudged Man of the Series, being the second-highest run scorer with 248 at an average of 62 and showed signs of returning to his run-making groove.

The Australian crowd is known to give hostile receptions to international players and the media often joins the bandwagon by scrutinizing every move of the player. Pietersen now faces a litmus test to come good in the Ashes. With the Australian bowling devoid of the class of Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne, he may relish the prospect of batting on good surfaces.

The England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower have reposed faith in Pietersen and backed him to succeed in Australia, as he relishes the big stage and an extremely important cog in the England middle order. It would be interesting to see if the mind games of the Australian camp really spur Kevin Pietersen to renew his determination and hit top form.