England gears up for the World Cup …

As the world's biggest hitters warm up for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, one of England's biggest hitters will be back in at home, helping Surrey through the final stages of the English domestic season.

At 37, Alastair 'Ali' Brown knows it is time to let the younger boys go about international one-day and Twenty20 cricket, but it won't stop the man, capped 22 times in limited overs internationals for England, watching the action in the southern hemisphere.

In fact, when Twenty20 cricket first appeared in county cricket it seemed to have been invented for a man who scored 268 for Surrey against Glamorgan in a limited overs match at the Brit Oval in 2002, a total that is still a record at any level of senior one-day cricket.

And so it doesn't come as a surprise that Brown, when not battling for promotion in the Pro40 league with Surrey, will have one eye on South Africa and the first international tournament of the fast and furious version of the game.

"When Twenty20 cricket was first brought to us, I for one looked at it as a format that would suit me. On the times I have played it, I have maybe gone a bit too early, been a bit too aggressive, and that has probably cost me a few low scores.

"But I have been playing domestic cricket for 20 years now and to see grounds full is amazing. You see 30,000 at Lord's for a domestic game and the atmosphere is something else."

Brown thinks that England have every chance of success out in South Africa, provided they bat 'without fear'. And there is one man in the England squad that he would pay to watch in any form of the game.

"I hope we perform well in it and if we go without the fear of failure, I think we will," he says.

"I like watching Kevin Pietersen bat. I think he is a very decent player and shows the sort of aggression that is required, and the confidence as well.

"If you play at that level, you have to have a lot of self-belief, particularly if you get left out after a couple of poor performances.

"Pietersen is certainly a player I admire at that level and someone I would pay to watch."