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England’s Kevin Pietersen has tried to spook Australia’s batsmen by talking up the chances of reverse swing being a major factor in the Ashes series.
The weather bureau is forecasting a warm summer by English standards and the flamboyant batsman said that could play into the hands of the home side.
The English seamers turned Australian batsmen’s heads to mush and legs to lead in their shock 2-1 series win in 2005.
And Pietersen was only too happy to stir the pot before the series opener in Cardiff starts on Wednesday week.
“I know the Australians are probably hoping that the weather does not stay like this because (of James) Anderson, (Stuart) Broad, (Andrew) Flintoff bowling reverse swing the way they do,” he said.
“I am certainly not one who would like to be facing that.
“If the weather stays like this, the ball will certainly reverse swing and we are going to be really tough to play against.”
One thing working in Australia’s favour this time around must be their fast bowling coach Troy Cooley, who was largely credited as the brains behind England’s use of reverse swing four years ago.
Under his guidance, the already lethal Mitchell Johnson showed in South Africa that he is working out how to swing the ball both ways.
South African-born Pietersen said he gained fresh information about the Australians from former countrymen Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher following South Africa’s six Tests against Ricky Ponting’s men during the last southern summer.
“I have had a lot of communication with Kallis and Boucher,” he said with a cheeky smile.
“A lot of it was very, very useful.
“How to dismiss quite a few of their batsmen how they found it really, really interesting in terms of feet movement and positions and where to bowl and how to bowl to some of their top players.
“Kallis and Boucher I speak to almost daily about stuff.”
When asked if they had provided insights into removing young opener Phillip Hughes, he said: “I have spoken to them about a lot of people.”
Pietersen, who is carrying an Achilles tendon complaint, talked down comments from former Hampshire teammate Shane Warne that England couldn’t win the Ashes without him.
“I heard what he said about me last week that we are a one-man team and I don’t truly believe that at all,” he said.
“I mean, it is a compliment coming from a legend of the game.
“England certainly are not a one-man team.”
He said he had to stay positive that he could play his way through the series with his niggling injury.
“I have to, I have to, as soon as you play against Australia or try and play against Australia and you are injured and thinking negatively that is when they will pounce on you,” he said.
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