Hot conditions in World Cup could help sub-continental teams more, feels Kevin Pietersen

Hot conditions in England were cited as something that would benefit India last year when Virat Kohli’s team toured the country for a full-fledged series. Although India were thumped 1-4 in the Test series, the weather theory has been floated this year again, ahead of the ICC World Cup kicking off on May 30. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes that if hot and dry conditions prevail in England during the WC, the sub-continent teams will have an advantage. He added that green pitches, on the other hand, will aid the hosts more. India is the only team from the sub-continent to have won a World Cup in England so far (1983).

England will be playing South Africa in the opener of the WC at the Oval while the final will be played at the Lord’s on July 14. This is the fifth time that England are hosting a WC after 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999. While the Windies won in 1975 and 1979, Australia won the 1999 edition.

Pietersen, who played in the 2007 World Cup and scored over 13,000 international runs with 32 hundreds, also drew an analogy with a past Test against India. “We started a Test against India in 2000 something. On day one it was an absolutely green surface but at the end of day two, it was completely dry. It never rained but the moisture that was sucked by the system dry completely and depleting any grass on the wicket,” India Today cited reports as quoting the 38-year-old as saying.

“If the conditions are alike last summer, then I can say subcontinental teams will have a massive role to play in the World Cup. If they are not and it’s horrible and green and seaming all over, it will play into England’s favour.”

Pietersen cautions England against swinging ball

The former hard-hitting batsman, however, cautioned that if the ball swung like the way it did in the recent series between England and the Windies, the hosts could be in trouble. England have played the final of three WC till date, including one at home in 1979, but never they could have the winners’ smile.
“The one downside for England though is that although they have the license to slog from ball one. But, in those swinging and seaming conditions it’s quite difficult as we saw in the West Indies at Barbados where the ball did a bit and the West Indies knocked over England (in the Test).”