Andrew Strauss wants Kevin Pietersen fit for Ashes – Cricket news
Former Test captain of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 Andrew Strauss on Friday said that it was important for the Three Lions’ Ashes prospects that veteran batsman Kevin Pietersen regained full fitness.
Pietersen, the 32-year-old Natal-born England batsman, is currently nursing a knee injury and in his absence the Poms could only manage 232 in the first innings of their first Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 at Lord’s.
“I think we've seen in this Test how much he (Pietersen) can change the tempo -- I think we're missing him in this game...It's important for England he's fit,” Strauss said in an interview with Sky Sports at Lord's on Friday.
“He's the best player I've ever played with, in terms of sheer talent, in terms of the ability to take the game away from the opposition -- he's outstanding,” added the former skipper, set to join five other ex-England captains in the Sky commentary box
for the Ashes to be played in England in July-August this year.
Strauss, 36, retired from all cricket in August last year following a 2-0 Test series defeat at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 at home. Kevin Pietersen was dropped from the team for sending controversial text massages to the South African players, and it is believed
that KP’s text controversy hastened Strauss’ retirement. The latter, however, has always insisted that the text messages did not affect his retirement plans.
Strauss, who had succeeded Kevin Pietersen as England’s Test captain, on Friday said that the South African import is “a very easy to manage” player. However, he did agree that KP has a “big ego” that makes his case a bit complicated.
“The vast majority of the time he’s very easy to manage because he works really hard, he's very professional in the way he goes about his business,” said Strauss, the former England opener who played 100 Tests and 127 One Day Internationals during a cricketing
career spanning over 9 years.
The next episode of the traditional Ashes rivalry between England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 starts at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on July 10, 2013.
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