Moores sure England can perform

Kevin Pietersen has given Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior his complete backing

England are hoping to make a major step towards developing into genuine World Cup contenders when their one-day series in India begins next week.

With confidence boosted by the energetic and vibrant performances which secured an emphatic 4-0 NatWest Series triumph over South Africa earlier this year, England will arrive in India bristling with confidence under newly-installed captain Kevin Pietersen.

Having comfortably overcome a South Africa side recently rated as the top one-day side in the world, England will not lack confidence when they begin a gruelling 19-day schedule of seven one-day internationals, all in different venues.

They also have the recent experience of exceeding expectations by winning in Sri Lanka last winter, which signalled the first signs that England were finally developing into a competitive one-day side under coach Peter Moores.

But they will also be aware of the difficulty they face in trying to overcome India on home soil, where they remain formidable opposition as they underlined with a 4-0 series win over England two years ago.

Indeed England have not won a one-day series in India since 1984/5, but their experiences in Sri Lanka just over a year ago have convinced Moores that a subcontinent double is within their reach.

“We won the one-day series in Sri Lanka with a very young team last year and we’re going to be taking a stronger team to India,” stressed Moores.

“If we can deliver there as well that would be two subcontinent wins in one-day cricket in a row, which would be a real plus.”

With India hosting the next World Cup in 2011, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, England’s progress during the coming series could be a key guide to their prospects.

Before then England will need to establish a settled unit with clearly identified roles as they develop under Pietersen.

Traditionally a difficult tour for wicketkeepers, Matt Prior faces an important few weeks having impressed on his recall against South Africa, with the dusty pitches and uneven bounce once again providing a major examination of his glovework.

Prior went back to Sussex and worked on all aspects of his game and has been rewarded

“Matt went away and did not talk about much and worked on his game, and got better at the areas where he probably let himself down,” said Pietersen.

“He didn’t gob off to anybody and said he’d been unlucky, he’s gone away and done the business. He’s become a really good bloke, he’s matured a lot as a man over the last year and he’s been a dream in the dressing room, helping the other lads.

“He was consistently brilliant throughout the (one-day) series and deserves all the accolades.

“Matty likes people in his corner and I’m certainly in his corner as is the coach and the senior players. We want Matty Prior to be in our side and be successful for us for a long time because he’s a very talented kid.”

England’s other dilemma is how to get the best out of talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who has struggled on recent visits to India with the bat, while the sheer demands of playing cricket on the subcontinent are also a major challenge.

“All the guys are just hungry for success,” Pietersen added. “There are a lot of players who know they have settled for a comfort zone in certain areas, but I don’t live with any comfort zones.

“I don’t settle for mediocrity, I want guys to perform, to chuck their talent around and to be the best people they can possibly be - there’s no point living if you don’t want to be the best person you can possibly be.

“I know there are going to be hard and testing times, especially the trip to India because it’s not easy for any team to tour India.

“But I also have a philosophy of really enjoying the good times because when the bad times come along you long for those good times.

“You make sure you enjoy the days like winning the series against South Africa because it’s going to be tough in India and we’ll just have to deal with it.”