STAR batsman Kevin Pietersen believes England will benefit in their Ashes opener from a passionate Cardiff crowd that will take the baton from the thousands of fans who roared on the Lions in South Africa.

The stands were a sea of red shirts when the British and Irish rugby stars locked horns with the world champion Springboks and now it is the cricket team's turn to try to topple the best on the planet.

It promises to be a special atmosphere when the first Test gets under way at the Swalec Stadium tomorrow morning and it is one that Pietersen will relish.

“The great thing over the last three weeks is seeing how much support the Lions got in those Tests and knowing that the support here is going to be the same,” said the England number four, who was born in Natal in South Africa.

“There will be singing, cheering and carrying on like there was in South Africa and it brings a smile to our faces.

“We are looking forward to putting on a big performance for the Welsh public, we know how sports mad they are we know that they are going to be right behind us.”

And the loud home support will be particularly welcome in a opening few sessions that are expected to be no holds barred.

The Australians may not have Glenn McGrath to lead the charge but Pietersen predicts they have plenty more ready to step forward.

He said: “The Australian way is to come out and be fiercely competitive, to be dominant in what they do, forceful in their approach and throw a lot of punches early in a Test match and early in the series.

“It doesn't matter who they put out, it will be tough for us. They are a fierce side when those guys put on that baggy green cap that means so much to them, a few months ago they beat South Africa in South Africa. This is a good team.

“I expect it to be aggressive but we are also going to come out hard and fighting because we are not scared.”

Pietersen entered the incredible 2005 Ashes series as the new kid on the block but now the pressure is on him to perform as the main batting threat in the English line-up.

He is ninth in the world Test batting rankings, behind Aussies Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, with both Mike Hussey and Simon Katich coming before the next English batsman in 18th-placed Andrew Strauss. But Pietersen is not fazed.

“There is no great weight of expectation on me in the dressing room,” he said. “Look at the stats - Strauss has got hundreds, Cook has turned 50s into hundreds, Collingwood has hundreds, Bopara has three in a row, Prior has got runs.

“It's not as big an issue as everyone makes out. If I have a bad series or am out cheaply then we can still win.”