Kevin Pietersen racing against clock to face South Africa confidently

Kevin Pietersen has said that he still needs time to rediscover his confidence and form to face South Africa.

According to The Times, Pietersen knows that his brilliant stroke play requires honing in the middle and self-belief will come from producing those shots.

Pollock, the former South Africa fast bowler, said: "There is no doubt he (KP) is under pressure to perform from a team perspective and a personal point of view. He is a player who rises to the big occasion, but it is not easy when you have been out of the game for a while, particularly for a batsman. England need him to fire in order to win."
 
Pietersen believes that his 45 in the third one-day international in Cape Town 11 days ago was a reflection of his present state.

"I am trying my hardest to get back as quickly as I can," he said.

"I will get there, but it will take time. It is not a case of starting where I left off. I could do with a couple of knocks this week, definitely," he added.

"Backing your ability is fundamental in international sport. Confidence does take a while to come back after being away. What takes the time for me is re-adjusting to the pace. I went from not playing to facing Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn at 150 kmh [about 93mph] - you don't come across that speed in the nets," he said.

Pollock cannot be dismissed as a rabble-rouser trying to undermine Pietersen. He was among the first to spot Pietersen's talent and arranged for him and his father to fly from Durban to Johannesburg to meet Ali Bacher, the head of cricket in South Africa at the time, to try to keep him in the system nearly a decade ago.

"We saw him as an off spinner with a lot of potential," Pollock said. "He was tall, flighted the ball really well and we lacked spin options in South Africa. We wanted to hold on to every possibility. I thought I could help him weigh up his options, but it was hard because he had a three-year contract on offer from Nottinghamshire."

Pollock is unconvinced that the abuse still handed out to Pietersen is anything more than spectators trying to unsettle a key figure in an opposition side.