Pietersen indebted to Flintoff

"Kevin Pietersen is a great England cricket captain." That bold statement comes courtesy of Simon Barnes in The Times, and doubtless others, but Pietersen's golden start to his tenure is owed to one man.

Freddie's back. And when you have Andrew Flintoff at the top of his game, you tend to look good if you are standing anywhere within shouting distance.

Time and again Flintoff has been the difference between England and the opposition. Others have played well, but they cluster around him, they draw inspiration from him, he is their rallying point, their mascot and their go-to guy. As a result of his resurgence, the most remarkable thing has happened - England are giving a fair impersonation of a crash-hot one-day team.