How Hoggard sorted an issue over beer with annoying Pietersen

Ex-England fast bowler Matthew Hoggard says Kevin Pietersen annoyed him in Australia 2006-07, but he straightened KP out in the bar

London: Former fast bowler Matthew Hoggard, who was Kevin Pietersen's senior teammate during England's successful 2005 Ashes campaign, has said that the controversial batsman annoyed him in the return Ashes series in Australia 2006-07.


Kevin Pietersen and Matthew Hoggard celebrate a wicket against Pakistan at Headingley, Leeds in 2006. Pic/Getty Images 

Hoggard (37) told BBC Radio 5 live: "Some things were annoying me and I wanted to get it out in the open. I sat down with him for a beer in a bar in Perth. It was nothing nasty, just a talk between two teammates.

"Pietersen was doing things I did not like. He was very professional in the way he trained and got himself ready to play but he could have done more for the team.

He was doing personal and work stuff in the dressing room which could have been done in private, like how much he was earning. It grated on me.

Chilling
"But we sat down and he was brilliant. We came away with a better understanding of each other." In his new book which was released on Thursday, Pietersen claimed there was a bullying culture in the team.

 

Hoggard, who claimed 248 wickets in 67 Tests reckoned Pietersen's bullying claims were exaggerated and that he never witnessed bullying.

"It can be intimidating when you are trying your best and you don't want to misfield or get abuse. But you are playing international sport. You are one of the 11 best players in the country and expectations should be high.

So there are two ways of looking at it. I've not seen it to the extent of bullying. You have to perform under pressure and it's not bullying if you lose your rag with a fielder," he said.

"I've never seen any bowler demand an apology from a fielder," added Hoggard.

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