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Pietersen has faith in batting
07.08.08Kevin Pietersen has challenged England's under-performing batsmen to deliver at the Oval this week when he begins his reign as captain in the final npower Test against South Africa.
The Hampshire batsman launched the new England era under his captaincy with a bold selection policy for the final Test of the summer by resisting the temptation to replace Michael Vaughan with another batsman and instead choosing to enter the match with five specialist bowlers.
"This is Peter Moores' and my team," said Pietersen. "We've definitely come together and we had a good chat and it's a team we've both decided on. We're singing off the same hymn sheet here, it's a positive move, it's an aggressive move and it's given the batters the responsibility to go out and get runs."
He added: "I've always said the batters need to score the runs and then we're going to have Freddie (Flintoff) at number six.
"I like Fred (Andrew Flintoff) at number six. It's a positive move with Timmy (Ambrose) at number seven and then (Stuart) Broad at number eight - it's not a bad batting line-up when you look at it like that."
It is an adventurous selection with Broad and Steve Harmison returning for Vaughan and the injured Ryan Sidebottom, but it also puts extra pressure on a battling line-up who have scored 400 in the first innings only once in the last 15 Tests.
They have also failed to score 250 in the first innings in the last two Tests against South Africa, but Pietersen has every faith in the new-look line-up, which includes Ian Bell moving up to his favoured position at number three and Paul Collingwood batting at number four.
The return of 22-year-old Broad, who was rested for last week's five-wicket defeat at Edgbaston because of concerns about his recent heavy workload, will definitely strengthen England's batting line-up.
Broad has hit half-centuries in each of his last three Tests batting at number eight, and although Flintoff remains a gamble at number six, the Nottinghamshire seamer's ability with the bat provides insurance against the possibility of another top-order collapse.
"He's an interesting character," confirmed Pietersen. "He's young, he's fresh, he's got great ideas. He thinks cricket and he's got a great cricketing brain. I faced him in the nets and the ball swung for him, he bowled beautifully."
