Pietersen lauds England squad

Kevin Pietersen believes the rest of world cricket may soon become fearful of playing against England.

Andrew Strauss' team took their country to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings for the first time when they trounced previous incumbents India by an innings at Edgbaston on Saturday. This week, they have the chance to complete a 4-0 npower series whitewash of those opponents at The Oval, as they seek to prove their world-beating status is well-merited.

Asked if future opponents may have good reason to fear England, Pietersen said: "Potentially yes."

He sees no weak links in a squad which - it was announced on Sunday morning - will head for London unchanged from their success in Birmingham.

"You look at that engine room - (from) Matty Prior down to number 10, those guys there can score 150 runs and take the game away from you - we've seen it a couple of times already in this series," he added.

"If we get ourselves into a bit of a hole at 120 for five or 80 for five we can still get 250-300 - and then back our bowlers to do the business."

There is a fine line between confidence and complacency, and Pietersen is convinced England are striking the perfect balance.

"I think you've got a lot of experience and you've got guys who, it's wrong to say are certain of their places, but have done enough in this team to be sure of their own games," he said.

"They warrant being selected through a bad run of form, to keep getting the backing of selectors because they have done so well over the last however many years.

"When you have that confidence behind you as a player, you're not so worried about your place; you're really, really worried about doing your job well - and also if someone else does well, there's no jealousy."