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Kevin
Pietersen © Getty Images
ECB - England |
Kevin Pietersen
will be geared up for the greatest spin challenge the world
has to offer when England’s Test series against Sri
Lanka gets underway on Saturday.
Pietersen, 27, believes facing record-chasing spinner Muttiah
Muralitharan in his home city will be the toughest spin
assignment he has encountered.
Having had success against both Murali and Australian Shane
Warne, his close friend and Hampshire captain, Pietersen
is well placed to compare the men who top the Test bowling
charts.
Murali needs five victims at the Asgiriya Stadium to surpass
Warne’s career total of 708.
“They are both assassins. Both champions. Both geniuses,”
said Pietersen.
“It is just a pleasure to face them and hopefully
try to get the better of them.
“I know the way Shane tries to get you out and the
way Muralitharan tries to get you out.
“The difference is Muralitharan spins the ball both
ways and is harder to pick; he is a lot harder challenge
because of the way he spins it both ways with a pretty similar
action.
“If you look at Muralitharan’s delivery stride
his feet don’t change whereas other bowlers’
do. The only change is his wrist and it is hard to pick
that up.”
Pietersen added: “Can I pick him? The more you face
Muralitharan the more you start to pick him. But I am not
going to say I pick Muralitharan.
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| Pietersen
finds it easier to play Murali each time he comes up
against him © Getty Images |
“Everybody
thought I did last year but I only picked him 70-80 per
cent of the time.
“The more you play him the easier it becomes, as with
any bowler.
“It is just a case of trying to spend some time in
the middle and get through your first 20 balls.”
Pietersen hit two hundreds in the drawn series against Sri
Lanka last year and this week produced a reverse sweep for
six reminiscent of his audacious stroke off Murali at Edgbaston.
Many will see the battle between the two - Murali dismissed
Pietersen twice in his 11 wickets at Trent Bridge which
levelled things at 1-1 - as key to the series outcome.
“I will play pretty similar to the way I played him
in the UK, I will just have to be a lot more patient,”
Pietersen said.
“These are his conditions, it is definitely going
to spin a lot more. I have thought about how to counter
it and if it works it works, if it doesn’t work it
doesn’t work.
“But I am going out there being as confident in my
preparation as I can be, as I always am.”
England are confident of emulating their 2001 predecessors
with a series victory and go into the three back-to-back
Tests boosted by a five-wicket victory over a Sri Lankan
second string.
That match provided useful practice - Pietersen managed
59 in the second innings, his first lengthy stay at the
crease - and pointers towards how to be successful here.
“Spin will play a big part, so will the powers of
concentration, especially in this weather,” said Pietersen.
“We also saw the other day it is important to attack
with the new ball, we attacked pretty well and bowled a
side out for 81.
“You have to attack for the first 10 overs, then do
a holding job in the mid overs before the spinners play
a huge part, concentrating on being as patient as they can
be.”
Focus on the task in hand may have wavered when news of
two bombings, and multiple fatalities, not far from where
the team had been staying for a fortnight filtered through.
“It definitely caused concern among the players but
we have got to concentrate on the cricket,” said Pietersen.
“It is never nice to hear of casualties and the way
people were killed yesterday in Colombo. Our hearts go out
to their families but it is a case of ensuring we concentrate
on what we have to do out here.
“I woke up this morning and had a load of text messages
from England and South Africa.
“We had a meeting this morning and have been told
our circle is pretty secure so we have been told to concentrate
on what we are paid to do.”
Courtesy - SNNI
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