KP in 'talking sense' shocker...

England skipper Kevin Pietersen has warned his players not to overdo any celebrations at the Stanford Super Series in Antigua next week.

Each England player will earn $1m (£577,500) from the Twenty20 game if they beat a Stanford Superstars XI.

Pietersen said: "I've got friends who are struggling, really struggling - people who've lost their jobs.

"There's no way I want anyone carrying on like a clown, win or lose. I'll be really angry if stuff does happen."

Pietersen, who confirmed that he will give a portion of any of his winnings to charity, said he was well aware that the current global financial crisis would heighten sensitivities around the match.

"The game's come at a really difficult time, and I 100% respect that.

"There won't be any nonsense happening in and around or after that match," he said.

"We're playing for England. Yes, there'll be people out there with their noses up, but I don't think me as captain or the lads can be blamed.

"As long as we don't carry on like clowns I don't see it being as big a problem as some people are making out.

"The message is simple and loud and clear from my point of view, which is that this trip is preparation for the series in India.

"The Stanford game will be a highly-pressured situation, as highly-pressured as playing India in India, or Australia on the first day of an Ashes Test. So it'll be a reality check for the guys on how they deal with pressure."

Pietersen also said the tour of India in November and December, on which England will play seven one-dayers and two Tests, will see the team given more free time than they had in Sri Lanka and New Zealand last winter.

"That was Moorsey's (coach Peter Moores) first winter tour, and I think we all realise that it wasn't right, the way we went about stuff," he said.

"It wasn't right in terms of the way we trained all day every day, and the boys were knackered all day and every day

"They need to perform at a high level, and in order to do that you need to have the energy levels to do so.

"It definitely won't be the same. As long as we work hard, I don't mind the guys having a bit of time off."

Augustus wrote:It's best not to judge - I'm sure I'd be even more of a cǔnt if I were rich and supremely talented. I get by by thinking 'at least he's not a girly boy like Ian Bell.'

I just about manage a complex equilibrium between like and dislike.

Though I would add that KP seems to give surprisingly decent interviews instead of the usual 'the boys done good (as Bangladesh close the 1st day on 342/0)' or 'we can still win this (chasing 666)' as all the cr@p players do.

Augustus wrote: I get by by thinking 'at least he's not a girly boy like Ian Bell.'

JKLever wrote:

Augustus wrote: I get by by thinking 'at least he's not a girly boy like Ian Bell.'

Wouldn't really class Bell as a 'girly' boy tbh, just a quiet timid bloke.

Now Monty P... he runs like a girly girl.