Ashes 2010-11: Kevin Pietersen expecting Melbourne Test to be “huge”
England’s flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen is relishing the prospect of playing in front of over 100,000 people in the fourth Ashes Test, set to start at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day.
The five-match Test series is currently squared at 1-1, with the first match at Brisbane ending in a draw, the tourists winning the second Test at Adelaide, followed by Australia’s resounding 267-run win in the
third Test at Perth.
Pietersen has already experienced some incredible moments in his Test career, which began in 2004, but the right-hander feels nothing would beat playing at the biggest cricket ground in the world, known for its
imposing atmosphere, especially when it is packed with fans.
Pietersen was the star of England’s 2005 Ashes win in their home country. He recalls the final Test of that series, which was held at the Oval and was a cliff-hanger till the very end, as one of the biggest moments
of his Test career. But he suspects the MCG Test might be even bigger.
"Leading 2-1 in '05 going into an Oval Test was pretty big, but this is huge," said Pietersen. "Having won a Test, lost a Test, two to play, and one to win to take the Ashes home is an incredible opportunity for
the team. I don't know what ticket sales are like but it could be potentially around 400,000 people watching the five days. That is so exciting.”
"I've played a little bit, and I get goose bumps thinking about it," he added. "Everyone in the team including the management and the Australians are really looking forward to what should be a great week's cricket
if the sun shines. Any day of Test cricket is amazing, but if you get 100,000 watching you on a particular day, you're pretty pleased."
Pietersen was disappointed with his team’s show in the Perth test match. The tourists were found wanting by the pace and bounce of the Aussie attack, with pacers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris claiming nine
wickets apiece in their merciless performance.
Johnson was the star of the show, sending England packing in their first innings with his prodigious swing at a searing pace. He sent three English batsmen – Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Paul Collingwood – back
to the pavilion with deliveries that swung back sharply. His spell on the second day saw the tourists collapse from 78/0 to 187 all out.
Pietersen admitted that Johnson, who went wicketless in the first Test before being dropped for the second, caught his team by surprise at Perth.
"He took us by surprise for sure," said Pietersen. "He bowled well, really, really well and had a good game of cricket, and we're going to have to prepare ourselves for that swinging ball. We knew he could swing
it, but we didn't realise he would swing it that much. He did some really good work in the week off he had, but we will be a lot better prepared for it here in Melbourne so we will play him a lot better."
The wicket for the fourth test is expected to be a lively one, which means that both batting line-ups will have their tasks cut out for them. England needs to win one of the last two Tests to retain the Ashes.
Pietersen is aware that his team is on the verge of achieving something special and burying the ghosts of England’s consecutive dismal performances in Australia since their last triumph there in 1986-87.
The turnaround is all the more remarkable considering that they lost the last Ashes series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 5-0.
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