Pietersen hits back at critics as £10m match moves closer

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England's star batsman - speaking at Lord's where new kit suppliers adidas unveiled the latest Test and one-day uniforms - has missed out on this year's mega-bucks Indian Premier League, along with all his centrally contracted colleagues.

But the possibility of Pietersen and Co playing in the richest cricket match ever staged now looks highly likely.

ECB chairman Giles Clarke said today the Twenty20 contest in the Caribbean is "very likely to take place" - and Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford is believed to have offered a £10m winner-takes-all prize for the game between his 'All Stars' side and England.

"I hope I get selected," said Pietersen. "It's exciting. Money like that has never been talked about in cricket before. For a one-off fixture, to know you could come home with just under a 'mill' under your belt is exciting.

"There will be some very nervous blokes - there won't be any drinking before that fixture! But it is something that is out of our hands and until it gets finalised it is all hearsay. But the IPL is happening, and I'll be watching it closely and with great interest."

Addressing the increasing levels of money that is being used to tempt top players, Pietersen added: "I don't see anything wrong in any of us saying we want to that kind of money. People who nail us and abuse us and criticise us, at the end of the day they are not going to pay for my child's school fees, are they? It's like winning the lottery."