Sir Viv Richards believes that England batsman Kevin Pietersen is the cricketing version of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

The 33-year-old has proven to be a controversial figure off the field but the West Indian legend insists that his talent cannot be doubted.

"I've always enjoyed watching Kevin play," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "He has some serious talent. It is not just his batsmanship and what he can accomplish in the middle, but the way he does it.

"He knows he can play a bit and Kevin is a guy who I would pay to go through the turnstiles and see play cricket. I said that about guys like Sachin [Tendulkar] and Brian Lara. They are the greats because they bring something special to the party.

"Because of his little problems in the past, such as with the texting and his outspoken nature from the start of his career, his story has had its ups and downs, like one or two other sportsmen. And because of the things he gets up to, such as the texting side of things, there are some folks who just don't like him for that and they want to see him rolled over first ball."

Richards added that many people want to see Pietersen fail as was the case with Ali.

"They are thinking, 'send that arrogant so and so back'," he said. "And that is the comparison I'm drawing with Muhammad Ali, when he called other boxers 'Uncle Tom' and things like that

"There were a lot of people who wanted to see him get beaten and get knocked over at the time. He wasn't liked much, but Ali kept fighting and doing it his way and he won people over.

"It is that kind of a scenario. You want to see KP get knocked over, but he goes out there and bang, bang, bang! He plays the game in a way that turns people round. He wins them back over with his ability."

Pietersen is currently playing in his 100th Test match for England against Australia in the first Ashes contest in Brisbane.