Kevin Pietersen believes England are the favourites for the T20 World Cup ahead of their opener with Afghanistan.
Jos Buttler's side get their campaign underway in Perth on Saturday and will hope to get off to a winning start after a run of decent form in recent matches against Australia and Pakistan.
England won the competition in 2010 with Pietersen named player of the tournament and the 42-year-old believes there can be a repeat Down Under.
"This England white-ball team is absolutely spectacular. They really are. They’re fabulous to watch, they’ve got all bases covered, and I think they go in as favourites," Pietersen told Betway .
England will also face host nation Australia in Group 1 as well as Sri Lanka and New Zealand and are set to go with an extra batter for their opener with Afghanistan.
Pietersen insists teams cannot take too much from the warm-up games and warns the pressure will be on when the real tournament gets underway.
‘The biggest players in the world want a crowd, they want competition, and they want energy from other avenues," he added.
"‘It was a great victory in Pakistan, a huge victory. And they’ve been very confident in the way they’ve played the warm-up games in Australia. It’s been the perfect build-up.
"The World Cup hasn’t started yet, though, and that comes with many different expectations.
"A series in Pakistan and a couple of warm-up games is one thing, but when you’re playing against the best players in the world every other day on the biggest stage."
