Pietersen urged to mend his ways

Source: Agencies  |   2008-8-6  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

KEVIN Pietersen's cricketing friends and foes alike agree that the new England captain is going to have to change his ways to succeed in his new job.

Close friend and fierce rival Shane Warne said the South African-born batsman will need to become "a giver not a taker."

"Kevin Pietersen now stands at a crossroads in his life as well as his career. Being England captain will take up more time than he can imagine and he will need to reconsider his whole outlook," the Australian spinner told the Times of London.

"Within the game worldwide he has a reputation as being an individual, but to be successful a leader must be a giver not a taker - to his team, fringe players, sponsors, the public, everyone."

Warne said he hoped Pietersen's captaincy "will be similar to his batting: positive, instinctive and entertaining."

England batsman Andrew Strauss admitted he was disappointed to miss out on the captaincy and only offered qualified support.

The left-handed opener had been tipped as a future test captain but his form has not been strong enough to avoid the problem that beset ex-captain Michael Vaughan - a respected captain unable to score with the bat.

Pietersen, 28, has taken over the captaincy of England's test, one-day and Twenty20 teams, replacing Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, who also resigned.

Strauss captained his country successfully in 2006, winning three out of five tests when Vaughan was injured, and felt he deserved another chance.

"The selectors had a decision to make. They spoke long and hard about which direction they wanted to go in," Strauss said.

"If they wanted a captain for all three formats including Twenty20, the list would have been short. I'm not involved in two of the formats ... I would have liked to have done the test job and, to that degree, I am disappointed I have not been given the opportunity."

Strauss was qualified in his support for Pietersen.