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Message: <blockquote data-quote="chandikagunawardhana" data-source="post: 5240547" data-attributes="member: 11539">England 'preying on' Johnson - Pietersen<img src="http://i26.tinypic.com/t659c4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Mitchell Johnson, the Australian allrounder, came into the Ashes as his team's leading bowler but he has struggled for accuracy, and Kevin Pietersen said England were "preying on" the fast bowler's problems."We certainly know that he's struggling," Pietersen told Sky Sports News. "The good thing we're doing at the moment in this England team is that we're preying well on guys that aren't playing well. I think Mitchell Johnson is a guy that the guys are preying on. But he is a fantastic bowler and he might come back really strong at Edgbaston. It's going to be an important thing to get on top of him and get on top of this Australian side."Johnson took eight wickets at 41 apiece in the first two Tests but was unable to bowl a consistent line and length and failed to build any pressure on the batsmen. Pietersen, however, will not be around to try and dominate Johnson at Edgbaston after undergoing surgery for an Achilles injury, but he was confident Ian Bell, his replacement, would come good."Belly [Bell] had a good time of it, then he had a bit of a bad time of it. He has obviously been left out, unfortunately for him, but I think he is a world class player and being left out for so long, that is hard on Belly," Pietersen said. "It will toughen Belly up and he will use this opportunity well. So I don't see Belly struggling at all in the next three Test matches. I hope he doesn't, I hope he comes in and does really, really well."Bell's last Test for England was the calamitous innings defeat at Sabina Park in February, a result which lost England the series in the Caribbean. Though Bell averages 40 in Tests (3004 runs in 46 matches), his run in the top-order was unconvincing, and he has also struggled against the Australians, against whom he averages only 25 in ten Tests. Pietersen, though, was confident Bell would remedy those figures.Though England lead 1-0 after two Tests, Australia were confident of winning, especially after the injury to Pietersen. "We still have three whole Tests to play. And that is plenty of time for us to turn this series on its head, especially as the loss of Kevin Pietersen is going to hurt England badly," Ricky Ponting wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "We all know what an influence Kevin is around their team."I said at the start of the series that he would be their go-to man, and the guy who would relish playing against Australia the most. He brings the X-factor to their batting. And a middle order without him in it definitely will not be the same."Pietersen, meanwhile, will be at Edgbaston for the third Test, which begins on Thursday, supporting his team-mates from the sidelines. "Yeah, I am finding it very difficult at the moment, having to know that I will be at Edgbaston on Thursday. I am going to go and watch the boys and support the boys because I think that is important."To know that I can't be playing will kill me inside but there is nothing I can do. When I know that I can't support the team and play the way I can play - I can't run - there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to bite the bullet."</blockquote>

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