KP quells pressure talk

Captain Kevin Pietersen thinks the Caribbean is the perfect environment for England's $20million contest tonight.

The 20-over match against a Stanford Superstars side, worth $1million-a-man to the winning team, could come down to a skied catch or a run-out opportunity.

But Pietersen, who yesterday had to tell James Anderson he would not play in the clash, insisted the relaxed atmosphere allows his team to switch off rather than be hounded by the prospect.

"When you get back from training you have lunch and jump in the pool," Pietersen said. "The boys go out on a catamaran or swim in the sea, you don't drive past 20 corner shops on the way home and see the Evening Standard or the Sun with a huge headline, or the Mirror or the Mail.

Captain Kevin Pietersen is staying relaxed ahead of the Stanford 20/20 for 20 clash

"At the moment, in terms of pressure, I don't actually feel anything; I try my hardest not to in big circumstances and I have my ways and means of getting rid of it."

Anderson was left out to accommodate Graeme Swann as a second spinner in Sir Allen Stanford's groundbreaking match.

The 26-year-old is the only change from the XI that wrapped up a comprehensive 4-0 victory over South Africa in the NatWest Series in the summer.

The effectiveness of the slow bowlers on the Coolidge surface earlier in the week persuaded England's management to draft in Swann, whose last one-day international was against New Zealand in June.

Ryan Sidebottom, who has been kept out of net sessions in recent days with a stiff calf, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara are the other three men who will be on the sidelines. If England are successful, they will share a million between them.

Attempting to be philosophical, Anderson said: "It’s disappointing, although I always thought two spinners was an option."

Meanwhile, England have been working to cover all bases should they be in the field during a tense climax tonight.

“We have been discussing, if they need one run off the last ball, what field we would set and all the guys were involved,” Pietersen added.

“Then we practised one off the last ball, two off the last ball and three off the last ball, so we’ve got a plan now, so it will not be me standing with the bowler for 20 minutes.”