Pietersen driven by traitor taunts

Durban-born Pietersen suffered a torrent of abuse from crowds and branded a traitor when he returned to South Africa in his first major series as an England player two years ago, but rather than become intimidated by the crowd's reaction, Pietersen became inspired and finished as man of the series.

"When he plays against them he's really motivated, which is a big positive for us," enthused England coach Duncan Fletcher. "He's obviously a player who likes to play against the big sides as he's shown against Australia when he put in some big performances."

His reunion with South Africa has been given added spice by his recent comments about their captain Graeme Smith, who he has labelled as "childish" and is sure to signal a war of words when the pair come face to face in the middle.

Pietersen said: "I found Graeme Smith's attitude pretty childish. He's a bloke who needs the game but he hasn't got many friends in it. I don't talk to Smith now. It's a waste of breath because I don't have any respect for him."

But Fletcher believes that type of rivalry could well inspire Pietersen, who has scored England's only century of the tournament so far, to a new level of performance.

"I think South Africa would motivate him just as much as playing against Australia, probably more, and hopefully it drives him to put in one of those batting performances which is not only good for cricket but is a huge advantage for us," said Fletcher.

As England's key batsman, it is crucial for Pietersen to fire in their remaining Super Eight matches against South Africa and West Indies next Saturday.

If England are to be successful, though, Fletcher is calling for the players around Pietersen to give him more support if they are to upset expectations and make a late charge to become World Cup challengers.

Fletcher stressed: "We have to make sure we can put in consistent performances that can support our top players - that's all that has been lacking. We've just had a few players putting their hand up and we need everyone to do it like they did in Australia."