Kevin Pietersen says the previous ECB board were wrong to sack him in search for harmony in the England dressing room.
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The star batsman was axed by the ECB in February 2014 following England’s 5-0 Ashes loss to Australia, with Pietersen being accused of being a disruptive figure within the side.
However, Pietersen told Fox Sports that former ECB board were too worried about having “good blokes” in the dressing room, saying some players within the dominant Australian side of the 2000’s could not stand each other.
“The previous board let themselves down, saying they just need good blokes in the dressing-room,” Pietersen is quoted as saying bt The Guardian.
“Whereas I know teams around the world at the moment, there’s blokes who can’t stand each other. I know the greatest Australian side, there were blokes in it who couldn’t stand each other. But when you go over the line you perform and you do the business because that’s your job.”
Pietersen says England needed to copy the environment created by new Australia coach Darren Lehmann.
“They need to get a much more relaxed atmosphere,” he said.
“What you need to do – and I think you need to really get this in sporting teams now, which I think Boof [Lehmann] has done – is create a family home atmosphere in that little bubble, so when you go into that bubble, you love that bubble, and you want to be in that bubble – and it’s the most relaxed, no-pressure environment.”
New ECB chairman Colin Graves has left the door open for Pietersen to return to the England side, however, the South African batsman must cut down his Indian and Caribbean Premier League commitments to play County cricket.
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