'I never feared Australia' — Kevin Pietersen says he enjoyed the challenge of facing the Aussies in the Ashes

Mayank Bande

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'I never feared Australia' — Kevin Pietersen says he enjoyed the challenge of facing the Aussies in the Ashes image

The countdown to the Ashes 2025/26 has begun, with exactly a month left before the arch-rivals face off at Perth in the most iconic cricket rivalry.

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In pursuit of their first away Ashes series win since 2010/11, the Ben Stokes led England will travel to Australia with one of the most complete squads in recent years.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated series, former England batter Kevin Pietersen spoke about his experience touring Australia and the challenges he faced during his time as a player.

Why was Kevin Pietersen never scared of Australia?

Days after Virat Kohli revealed his conversation with Pietersen about Australian fans, the former England cricketer has now shared his experiences of enjoying the battles Down Under.

Regarded as one of the finest batters of his generation, Pietersen was known to step up for England during the big occasions. In his 15 away Test matches against the rivals, he averaged close to 46 while scoring 1144 runs.

He was also crucial to England's triumph in the Ashes 2010/11 campaign. In that series, he notably scored 227(308) in their innings win in Adelaide.

"I wasn't scared of Australia because Southern Hemisphere [of UK] people are the same — we are ruthless, we work hard, we are patriotic, we are go getters, we have that never ever say die attitude and the game isn't over until it's over," he said on the Willow Talk Podcast.

"I didn't have any issues with Australia because I was brought up in the Southern Hemisphere and when I came to Australia, I understood that's the way they are going to be because that's the culture," he further explained.

MORE: What is Virat Kohli's record at Adelaide in ODI and Test matches?

During his 10-year international career, he was one of the key figures in the England XI and was often the target of the Aussie crowds for how well he performed against them, as mentioned by Kohli.

Pietersen also revealed how the crowds managed to get into his head off the field.

"The hardest thing that I had to deal with is being the pantomime villain from as soon as I stepped off the plane until I left [Australia]. I struggled off the field in Australia, on the field, I absolutely loved every battle," he concluded.

How did Kevin Pietersen perform in Tests in Australia?

During his time as England player, only Alastair Cook scored more runs than Pietersen in the away Ashes Tests. The right-handed batter played 15 matches and scored 1144 runs, including a 227 at the Adelaide Oval.

MatchesInningsRunsAvg/SRHighest50/100
1526114445.76/52.842276/2

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Staff Writer