KP believes England can win Ashes even if he is having a bad run

Cardiff (Wales), July 7 (ANI): With a day to go before the first Ashes Test against Australia to be played here, explosive batsman, and 2005 Ashes hero Kevin Pietersen has said that England can win the Test and the series even if he has a bad run.

"I think you guys (media) make the weight of expectation a lot greater than it actually is. If you (Australia) get me out cheaply or if I have a bad series, England can still win," The Independent quoted KP as telling reporters, cameramen, hangers-on and the Australians who were practicing on the other side of the drapes.

"In the dressing room I'm looking forward to it as much as anyone else. There's no great expectation on me in the England dressing room. I know and we all know that if you look at the stats from the last 12 months, we've all got runs, so I don't think that it's as big an issue as everyone says. I have confidence that the guys in the dressing room will perform," he added.

He also suggested that he was no more than a bit-part player in the proceedings and expected nothing of himself in the next few weeks.

"There is a tension in the rivalry between the two countries. As a cricketer you obviously know what's going on and you understand the rivalry. But to try to make it out as something that's bigger than it is, you can hurt yourself and get yourself into a bit of a tizz, you can add too much pressure to yourself," Pietersen said.

"You can definitely turn it into something it's not. At the end of the day it's a game of cricket between two teams who want to win - the same as if we play South Africa or India. The simpler you try to keep each game, each session, each ball, the more equipped you are," he added.

Pietersen made his Test debut in the first Test at Lord's in 2005, becoming the 626th player to represent England. He was the highest scorer in the 2005 Ashes, hitting an imperious 473 runs from just 663 balls, for a batting average of 52.55.

His highest score in an Ashes Test is 158, achieved in the crucial fifth Test at The Oval in 2005 and also in the second Test in 2006-07.

In the 2006-07 series, despite England suffering a 5-0 whitewash, Pietersen hit 490 runs, the second highest total of the series. (ANI)