Bring on the Aussies, Says Victorious Pietersen

One Test win behind him and England's new captain, Kevin Pietersen, has already seen enough to predict that Australia can be beaten in next summer's Ashes series. This will not be a reign characterized by false modesty.

England's six-wicket defeat of South Africa at The Oval was nothing more than a consolation against a partly demotivated side after the Test series had already been lost, but that did nothing to quell Pietersen's optimism. Australia might as well return the urn now.

"It was not far away from the perfect start and from the way I want to play cricket in the future," he said. "If we play like this, we will beat Australia. This is a starting stage. The key is to turn up to every single Test like we have this week."

Next summer's Ashes is nearly a year away, and Pietersen's captaincy of England is barely a week old, but even as he supervised a fifth-day win, ensured by an opening stand of 123 by Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss, he admitted, "I have definitely done a bit of thinking about Australia. For sure."

Pietersen even began to announce his strategy as he started the Ashes phony war in record time. He wants Flintoff at No6, says that he will "definitely get the best out of Steve Harmison" as the spearhead of England's attack and, although this remained unsaid for the moment, it seems inevitable that he will press for Matt Prior's return as wicketkeeper on the tour of India. "Our batting needs to improve," he said.

Test series await England this winter in India and the West Indies but, for Pietersen, the Ashes planning begins now. "You want to get the structure right so guys can play in a certain position for a long amount of time so that they can feel comfortable, know their role and deliver," he said.

"I am very happy with Fred batting at six. I am very happy with that attacking option. To play Australia next year I want Flintoff batting six in my team.

"Steve Harmison is hugely important to the Australia series. I said to Steve 'I want you to open the bowling, to bowl fast, to bowl straight, to be the old Steve Harmison and as an extra responsibility to get some runs at nine.' He said he would do his best. His best has been good enough this week."

Assertions are one thing but clues to England's Ashes chances will be seen in two juddering Test series between Australia and South Africa this winter. Graeme Smith will go there as captain of South Africa's most successful Test side: two wins and a draw from away series in Pakistan, India and England.

"The confidence that we have gained and the lessons we have learned are important factors in going to Australia," Smith said. "We didn't bowl nearly as well as we expected on this tour. It was heartening to know that we still had this huge potential to improve but were still winning."