Batsman rates Ponting and Hayden higher
'I'm not No. 1' - Pietersen
AFP
March 29, 2007

Kevin Pietersen may be the world's top-ranked batsman but he insists he's not the best. After displacing Australia's Michael Hussey this week as the No. 1 he said there were better players out there.

"I know there are - Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, people like that are better than me," Pietersen, who is key to his side's hopes of winning the World Cup for the first time, said. "There are a lot more important things than rankings, like winning the World Cup and to be winning games with this team.

"Statistics mean a lot and it's great to be No. 1. But I am happy with the way I am playing and now I hope to win a few more matches with England and be in the final of the World Cup in Barbados on April 28."

Pietersen has hit two half-centuries already with 60 in the defeat against New Zealand and 56 in the win over Kenya. The only black mark on his World Cup record is 5 against Canada.

Significantly for England, Pietersen is feeling comfortable and consistent after an eventful beginning in the one-day arena. "I started my international career really well on the tour of South Africa," Pietersen, who left the trip to Australia in January with a broken rib, said. "After that it got complicated because opponents start to concentrate on your weaknesses. But I'm getting it right now. It was frustrating what happened in Australia because the wickets there are fantastic."

Pietersen has plenty of ambitions to fulfil with England and wants to convert great starts into memorable displays. "I haven't scored enough hundreds," he said. "I have scored three international one-day centuries and they came in my fist ten matches. It's a mental thing for me. If I get to 70, I should be getting to 100."

© Cricinfo

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