Pietersen signals his intent

4 August 2008

Kevin Pietersen challenged his England side to adopt an approach based on instinct

Kevin Pietersen vowed to mould England in his own image as he embarked on his reign as captain.

The 28-year-old took charge of the Test and one-day sides today following the resignations of Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood barely 24 hours earlier.

Pietersen, one of the brightest talents the game has seen, has built his reputation as a batsman on his staggering array of strokes and fearlessness at the crease.

And he is keen for England to adopt an instinctive approach with him at the helm, starting with the fourth npower Test against South Africa on Thursday.

"I want the team to play similarly to the way I play my game, although you have to be accountable for the things you do and be responsible for the decisions you make," Pietersen said.

"I've learnt a lot from Michael from the way he has been around the team and the way he's spoken to players, the way he commands himself.

"The way I play is by gut instinct. I like to do things spontaneously, do what I feel is right in the situation.

“Over the years I've played cricket, I've gained a good cricket brain in terms of how I do things.

“My gut instinct when I'm batting for the first few years I've played for England has certainly been something that has assisted me tremendously.

"I will always ask for advice. I will also be listening. I'll always ask questions. I will always take advice from people.

“It's exciting for me. It's something that is a brand-new test, a brand-new challenge and I love challenges."

Pietersen also promised not to let the added pressures of captaincy – a factor which convinced Vaughan to stand down at an emotional press conference yesterday – affect his style of batting.

Pietersen is relishing the "exciting" challenge of leading England in both forms of the game

"I hope it won't restrict the way I play and I think it will be silly for me to start thinking it definitely will affect the way I play," he said.

"I play the way I play and it's a way that I've been successful with so far in my career. It's something I want to try and keep at a really high level."

Pietersen, who got married in December, has also noted what an effect the responsibility of being captain can have on home life, and watched Vaughan fight back the tears when he spoke of the impact on his own family during his resignation speech.

"I just see this as a fantastic opportunity to grab with both hands and to go with it and run with it," Pietersen explained.

"If it doesn't work and it affects a few things in terms of my personal life or if affects the way that I bat, then I will be man enough to say so.

"I'm not going to be a wimp and say I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to take it on board and I'm going to give it a really good go like I give everything in my life a good go."

Asked whether he was worried about the impact on his private life, Pietersen admitted: "There are obviously concerns.

"I've just recently got married (to Liberty X singer Jessica Taylor) and if you look at what Michael said about the last nine months and what he's been like at home, it's interesting to hear.

"You're always aware of the pros and weigh up the cons but the pluses were more entertaining."