Pietersen to play for Kwa-Zulu Natal
England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen will play for the Kwa-Zulu Natal Dolphins this October before the Ashes series.
Pietersen pushed the move through himself as he says he feels he will need more practice before heading to Australia. The South African domestic leagues will also give him the chance to bat against the same ball that will be used during the Ashes.
He said: "These two matches would enable me to work on my game against the Kookaburra ball in southern hemisphere conditions which is the ideal preparation for Australia."
Pietersen was dropped from England's one-day international and Twnety20 squads because the England and Wales Cricket Board felt he needed to get more match practice under his belt before the winter.
This is a very beneficial piece of news for Pietersen in many ways. However, some have voiced concerns that he will suffer feelings of burn out during the Ashes because of the amount of cricket he's playing.
A sensible move
This is a sensible move because Pietersen will be able to get vital practice in against the Kookaburra ball. This is a completely different ball from the one used in England and it will be important for England's number four to get used to the way the ball reacts over a long game.
The pitches in South Africa are not too dissimilar to the ones used in Australia. The pitches are generally good, flat and quite hard. The ball will move around much more in South Africa, which should make Pietersen's job easier when he plays in Australia.
England has not had a better chance to go to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and win the Ashes against the old enemy in their own back yard. One of the main reasons pundits say England has failed on previous tours is because key players haven't had enough cricket in the build up.
He said: "I'm extremely keen to get as much cricket as possible under my belt before a challenging and exciting winter. My sole focus is to continue playing a leading role for England and joining Natal is the perfect opportunity to prepare in excellent conditions immediately before the Ashes."
Burn out
There is a very strong chance that Pietersen could experience some feelings of burn out during the Ashes series. This is when a player gets very fatigued easily in the middle of a tour because of the amount of cricket that's been played.
Pietersen was a key figure in all forms of cricket at the start of the summer for England. He has joined Surrey and is playing in all forms of the game for the county and he will now jet off to South Arica before joining up with England in Australia.
However, Pietersen is experienced enough to know when enough is enough.
Betting advice
Pietersen could play very little cricket between now and the start of the first Ashes test and he would still have a very good chance of scoring big runs during the Ashes. His form for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 then he'll be a good bet to score big runs this winter.
Back him to score a century in any of the Ashes test and in any match he plays between now and then. Also have a punt on him being the top run scorer for England after the entire tour of Australia has been completed.
He clearly feels as though he has a point to make to his doubters and he is going about his preparations for the winter in the right way.
Tags: