London:Former England captain Kevin Pietersen Monday launched a scathing attack on his ex-teammates and former coach Andy Flower, accusing some of them of “horrendous” bullying within the team.
Pietersen blasted his former teammates in an interview to The Telegraph after his confidentiality clause with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) expired Sunday night.
The 34-year-old was discarded from the team by the ECB in January.
The batsman, talking before the release of his autobiography, was particularly critical of wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who he described as “a negative influence” in the team.
The Delhi Daredevils batsman accused Prior of leading an orchestrated bullying campaign along with bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, where these men forced fielders to apologise for dropping a catch off their bowling.
“Horrendous. Hugely disturbing,” Pietersen said of the alleged bullying.
“The thing that horrified me the most was when Andy Flower and (former captain) Andrew Strauss in Bangalore before the One-Day Internationals (ODI) said: ‘Guys we’ve got to stop this, it’s not right for the team.
There are guys that have come to (us) that are intimidated to field the ball.’
The outspoken batsman said he had no issues with Anderson and Broad but Prior’s alleged hypocrisy angered him.(ians)
