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England can win even if I fail, says Pietersen

AFP, Cardiff
Kevin Pietersen says England can regain the Ashes even if he has a lean series.
The South Africa born batsman, who comes into the Ashes series that starts here at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday under the shadow of an Achilles injury, made his Test debut during England’s 2005 home triumph against Australia when he scored 473 runs at an average of nearly 53.
And even though England lost the return Ashes series in Australia, in 2006/07, by a thumping 5-0, Pietersen still managed to score 490 runs at an average of more than 54.
By contrast the 29-year-old Pietersen's career average in his 52 Tests against all opponents is 50.49
No less a figure than now retired Australia leg-spin great Shane Warne, Pietersen's former county captain at Hampshire, said last month: “If England haven't got Pietersen 1 don't believe they can win.
"He's just a wonderful player."
But Pietersen, speaking to reporters at Sophia Gardens here on Monday, said: "I think you guys make the weight of expectation a lot greater than it actually is. In the dressing room, 1 am just as important as anybody else.
"There's no great weight of expectation on me in the England dressing room," said Pietersen, forced into resigning the captaincy of his adopted country in January after a falling out with then coach Peter Moores.
And he pointed to the form of his top-order colleagues as proof that England were more than a one-man batting unit.
"I know and we all know if you look at the stats over the last 12 months, that [England captain Andrew) Strauss has got hundreds, [Alastair) Cook has turned his fifties into hundreds, Colly [Paul Collingwood) has got hundreds, [Ravi) Bopara has got three [hundreds) in a row, and [Matt] Prior has got runs.
"We've all got runs. I truly believe the guys in the dressing room will perform. If you get me out cheaply or if 1 have a bad series. England can still win. But I don't ever intend to have a bad series.
"I am as ready as I can be. I love playing
Australia."
As for his own fitness, Pietersen, who has had cortisone injections, said: "I started running last week so I'm pretty good compared to where 1 was two weeks ago. ’
Wednesday's match will be the first time Cardiff, better known in sporting terms for having the home ground of the Wales rugby union team at the nearby Millennium Stadium, has staged a cricket Test.
But Pietersen said he hoped England could tap into the local enthusiasm for sport saying it would be akin to the backing the British and Irish Lions rugby side got during their tour of South Africa, which ended last weekend.
"We played here against South Africa (in a one-day international] last year. The boys have seen how much support the Lions have got in South Africa for those Test matches. The support here for us is going to be similar.
"We are looking to put on a really positive performance for the Welsh public, we know how sports mad they are."
Australia arrived in Britain without a clutch of retired senior players but Pietersen said the fact Ricky Ponting's new-look side had won a Test series in South Africa earlier this year was proof that they would not be pushovers.
"Any team that loses (Shane) Warne, (Glenn McGrath], [Matthew] Hayden. [Justin] Langer. [Adam] Gilchrist. Damien Martyn, are not going to be as strong because those guys are as close to legends of the game as you can possibly get.
"Some of them are legends of the game. Yes, your team is going to be weakened but the Australian way is to come out and be fiercely competitive, to be dominant in what they do and be forceful in their approach.
"It doesn't matter who they put out, it's going to be tough for us to do the business," Pietersen added.
"When those guys put on their baggy green cap, which is so historic to them, they are a fierce side.
"And three months ago they beat South Africa in South Africa so this team is a good team...they are the world champions, the favourites.
"We expect it to be tough but we are also going to come out hard because we are not scared.”