England looking for instant Kevin Pietersen impact

 
Getty
26 June 2013

Eoin Morgan has backed Kevin Pietersen to make an immediate impact on his long-awaited return to England duty tomorrow.

After three months on the sidelines with a knee injury, Pietersen will return to the national fold for the second NatWest Twenty20 international against New Zealand at the Kia Oval.

Pietersen has, however, already dispelled most concerns he could be rusty after such a long time out after he crashed an unbeaten 177 for Surrey in their LV

County Championship clash with Yorkshire at the weekend.

The right-hander was allowed to skip last night's first Twenty20, which England lost by five runs, to ensure his knee was fully recovered.

But after he reported a clean bill of health in the wake of the game, stand-in Twenty20 skipper Morgan said he would not be surprised if Pietersen immediately got back to winning matches for England, starting on his 33rd birthday tomorrow night.

"My role is to get him in and his role is to win the game," he said. "Kevin is a huge part of English cricket and has been for a long time.

"What he brings to the table probably very few people in the world can.

"He can take the game away from you at any stage and we saw during the week the way he performed he takes a lot of pride in when he goes out there and bats. He looks in good form."

Pietersen will join an England squad looking to avoid a first bi-lateral Twenty20 series defeat in two years after last night's last-ball finish.

England fell just shy of a their highest ever chase after New Zealand posted 201 for four - their highest score on foreign soil.

Morgan's side had looked on course for the majority of their pursuit until the stand-in skipper fell to some inspired captaincy from his counterpart Brendon McCullum, who earlier joined in a blistering 114-run stand with Hamish Rutherford.

With England on 134 for two in the 14th over McCullum rolled the dice and left in a slip for Morgan.

The left-hander obliged the risk by slashing a chance that Ross Taylor brilliantly held onto before Luke Wright (52) edged behind in the next over to leave England needing 63 from six overs.

Ravi Bopara still managed to take the game to the final ball but when he failed to hit Corey Anderson for six - which would have secured a super over - England were left short by the same margin they lost Sunday's Champions Trophy final to India.

"I think there were a couple of turning points," said Morgan, who was one of just four players retained from Sunday's reverse.

"To stop a lot of our momentum they kept taking wickets which is very difficult.

"They did take a gamble by having a couple of slips in and it did pay off.

"It could have went either side of him or I could have got more on it.

"It is little margins to change the game. Today they weren't on our side."

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