Flower - KP will bounce back
England coach backs Pietersen to rediscover form
By Rachel Griffiths. Last Updated: February 15, 2010 3:57pm
Andy Flower has revealed England batsman Kevin Pietersen is "hungry" to re-establish himself as a serious threat on the international stage over the next six weeks.
"This is an opportunity for him to get some serious time in the middle and for him to start contributing again in his dominant way in England victories."
Andy Flower Quotes of the week
Pietersen was absent from the final stages of England's triumphant Ashes series last summer due to an Achilles injury and was far from his best when he returned to the team for their tour of his native South Africa this winter.
Pietersen is included in the England Twenty20 squad set to face the Lions in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday before two matches against world champions Pakistan in Dubai.
The squad will then journey to Bangladesh for two Tests and three one-day internationals, and team director Flower believes the trip will be an ideal opportunity for Pietersen to reinstate himself as one of the sport's most feared batsmen.
Hungry
"He's very hungry, he had quite a chunk of time out of international cricket and he's come back hungry," said Flower.
"Things didn't go perfectly well for him in South Africa but he did make some contributions, especially at the start of the series.
"It was a difficult challenge for him to come back from playing cricket to facing the South African attack on sporty wickets. It was difficult for him.
"This is an opportunity for him to get some serious time in the middle and for him to start contributing again in his dominant way in England victories."
Kevin Pietersen
