England look to Pietersen

Even when Kevin Pietersen was crashing centuries, England could not win one-day games. But a Pietersen blast from the still relatively recent past would do a lot to lift spirits in Ahmedabad.

Three hundreds in five innings against his fellow South Africans during February 2005 catapulted Pietersen into Ashes contention yet failed to secure even one victory for the country he now calls home. And results have not improved much since then on the limited-overs front.

Now, with Pietersen suffering a mini dip - just a single score above 40 in his last eight innings - England's one-day reputation is lower than it has been at any time since Duncan Fletcher became coach in 1999.

World rankings have Fletcher's team in eighth place (with only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe below them) as the Champions Trophy nears its knock-out phase and England prepare to depart India.

The three-wicket victory by holders West Indies over the hosts dashed any lingering hopes Andrew Flintoff and Co had of reaching the last four.

But England now need to grab whatever crumbs of comfort they can before returning home and then heading off for Australia a week today to start the Ashes tour.

A commanding knock from Pietersen, following innings of 27 and one against India and the Aussies respectively, would be a good start while Flintoff - nought and four so far - would like to make a meaningful score and send down a few pain-free overs as he continues his rehabilitation from ankle surgery.

Wicket-keeper Chris Read, with two runs from two innings so far, also badly needs to show some composure at the crease to help him stay ahead of Geraint Jones in the Ashes plans.

But Fletcher remains upbeat. "This is a young side, and with a young side things can suddenly fall into place," he said.