Hard work already done by Stars

The Melbourne Stars have finally broken their semi-final hoodoo at the fifth attempt, but to listen to key batsman Kevin Pietersen you'd think the squad couldn't care less.

It's not that there's a lack of passion or determination to win, but rather between Pietersen and first-year coach Stephen Fleming the squad has continually had a 'results don't matter, only performance' approach drummed into them.

"Consequences? Why worry about results? We're not even going to worry about Sunday. We've got no interest in Sunday," said Pietersen on Friday night after smashing 62 from 36 balls to lead the Stars to a seven-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers. 

"We're just going to prepare, turn up, play the way we play and if we win, we win.

"(Fleming) lives off exactly the same mantra, he does exactly the same stuff. 

"He's not interested in consequences, he's not worried about results; he's worried about how we perform and how we prepare."

After four years of heartbreaking semi-final defeats, the pressure and expectation in a fifth semi-final could easily have become too much. But having won the toss and elected to bowl, the Stars bowlers delivered to hold the Scorchers to 7-139, an effort KP called "brilliant, absolutely sensational".

"It's the sign of a very, very good side that we can come in here and do a job like that, win the toss, perform and then we just knock (the target) off," the former England captain said. 

WATCH: Pietersen dines out on Scorchers

"They pulled their lengths back – 'Franky' (Daniel) Worrall pulled his length back and got a wicket; 'Hilfy' (Ben Hilfenhaus) tried to swing it for a couple of balls, pulled his length back and got a wicket. 

"Zamps (Adam Zampa) is just a class act, (Michael) Beer is a class act – that's the best trade in BBL history (Stars trading James Muirhead to the Scorchers in exchange for Beer) for a wonderful left-arm spinner like him. 

"All the guys who went out there after winning the toss deserve all the credit."

Pietersen's attitude may be more blunt than many– he has never been one to mince words – but it’s not uncommon. His heart has been hardened by a decade of "having to deal with the weight of expectation for 10 years playing for England", and he felt the 'love' from a countryman with the first ball he faced against the Scorchers, as David Willey immediately engaged him in a war of words. 

WATCH: Willey's welcome for KP 

"Every time I've walked out to bat I've had people gunning for me. So my personal way of dealing with that is to take all the pressure away and trust practice. That's what I do, trust practice. 

"I train as hard as anyone, I practice with a reason, I go and do my work with purpose and then I let everything else control itself. If I'm good enough I'll succeed, if not, then I'm not interested."

What may interest the Stars is how to stop Usman Khawaja, the Sydney Thunder batsman averaging a scarcely believable 275.

Pietersen has an idea.

"We probably would appreciate if Cricket Australia call him up for the (ODI against India on Saturday)," Pietersen said – a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that would make Khawaja unavailable for Sunday's Big Final back at the MCG.

"I think he probably deserves it as Australia's No.1 batsman at the moment to play on Sunday," said Pietersen, unable to contain his mirth. "So, Cricket Australia, pick him!"