Glenn McGrath insists Kevin Pietersen will find Test cricket a whole new ball game in more ways than one when he makes his debut in the five-day arena for England against Australia in Thursday's Ashes series opener at Lord's.
South Africa-born Pietersen, 25, played two whirlwind innings against Australia during the recent one-day internationals, notably a match-winning 91 not out that gave England a three-wicket win over the world champions at Bristol last month.
Those displays were good enough to earn the Hampshire middle-order batsman a place in the England Test line-up at the expense of 100-cap veteran and Surrey left-hander Graham Thorpe.
But experienced fast bowler McGrath, the spearhead of Australia's attack for a decade, has wrecked the Ashes hopes of many an England batsman, notably dismissing former captain Michael Atherton a record 19 times in Tests.
He has also caused problems for Marcus Trescothick and targeted England's other left-handed opener Andrew Strauss ahead of this series.
And the 35-year-old New South Wales quick, who needs just one more wicket for 500 in Tests, insisted he wasn't fazed by England's latest Test batsman. "It has been good to see Pietersen before the Test match. The way he plays, I think he is very much suited to the one-day game," McGrath told reporters at Australia's hotel here Monday.
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