Taylor details KP dressing room rift

Former England batsman James Taylor has shone an unflattering light on sharing a dressing room with Kevin Pietersen, saying he has "no respect" for England's fifth all-time leading run scorer, calling him "embarrassing".

Pietersen has long been one of the most divisive figures in England cricket, his undoubted talent and ability often clouded by personality conflicts that have been dotted throughout his career.

However, back 2012, Taylor, who stands just 170cm tall, recalls how the 193cm Pietersen took immediate issue with diminutive batsman being around the England team.

"I try not to have preconceived ideas about people and so always intended on giving KP a chance. But the early encounters hadn’t been good," Taylor wrote in his autobiography, 'Cut Short', which is being serialised in England's Daily Telegraph.

Taylor recounts the first and only words Pietersen said to him at their first encounter at an England net session were "What are you doing here?" before walking away, and had completely ignored him at another training session.

"Whether he was trying to intimidate me and be the big man, or it was him feeling threatened by me, I don’t know," Taylor wrote. "But this was before I’d even met him properly or shared a dressing room. He didn’t know me from a bar of soap but that was how he chose to be.

"They say never meet your heroes, and if ever there was a classic case, KP was it. I loved the way he played. One of my goals was to play alongside him. But on both occasions I came away thinking, 'What a t---'."

Taylor, who was forced to retire from the game in 2016 after a rare heart condition was discovered – an experience he recounts in harrowing detail in the book – made his Test debut alongside Pietersen in 2012 against South Africa at Headingley.

The pair put on 147 runs for the fifth wicket, Taylor making a cautious but steady 34 from 104 balls, while Pietersen exploded for 149 in one of his finest knocks for England.

"I batted fairly cautiously as we built a partnership, reflecting the position of the game, but KP was having none of that. He provided an amazing display of hitting at the other end, awesome stroke play of a kind that only he was capable," Taylor wrote.

"As the other batsman, it’s not like you can stand and stare dumbstruck and say 'Oh my God!', but make no mistake, I was enjoying watching. It was a proper fireworks display, to the extent that a little bit of me was thinking, 'What are you doing, mate? We need to keep our heads down and keep batting!'

"Contrary to the sheer wizardry of KP’s flashing bat, his conversation wasn’t quite so tantalising. As the partnership progressed, he didn’t talk down to me but was super arrogant. Facing Tahir, KP sauntered down the wicket. 'I’m just debating how far to hit this next one,' he said."

The match ended in a draw and in the post-match press conference Pietersen sensationally claimed he might quit Test cricket after the series, citing deep divisions in the dressing room and claiming: "It's tough being me playing for England."

Taylor wrote: "It was hard to take in. Playing for England had been my absolute dream. Now, having done it, my overriding thoughts were utter disbelief as to how Kevin had behaved in that press conference. Put simply, I found his antics embarrassing.

"Even before the game had even started, he was telling the coaches and other players I shouldn’t be in the team, and then that continued during the game itself, despite the fact that my support at the other end had allowed him to play one of the greatest knocks of his career. It explained his attitude prior to the game. While others were welcoming me, helping me settle in, Kev was giving me nothing.

"(Pietersen's opinion of me) makes me laugh. If Andrew Strauss had said those things about me, it would have been awful. It would have really affected me, because I had so much respect for him.

"Kevin Pietersen? I couldn’t care less because I don’t respect him. Kevin is a big fish and what came out of his mouth made about as much sense."

Pietersen had been rocked by a parody Twitter account that lampooned him. It was run by a close friend of Stuart Broad and rumours key England players were involved abounded. Taylor wrote he could empathise, but had little sympathy.

"I’m not blind to how KP must have felt. I can see that it would be a horrible position for him to be in, to feel alone in the dressing room, but it was a position he’d brought on himself," Taylor wrote.

"His presence had long been divisive and had caused serious disjointedness to the side. Add in a tough series against South Africa, losing the first Test heavily, the lads being tired, and one massive ego stamping around in the middle of it all and it was a powder keg just waiting to be ignited.

"The England dressing room at that time wasn’t in a good place. KP at that point just didn’t seem a team player. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I first experienced being in the same team as him. I couldn’t believe how he behaved or how he didn’t do anything. The scales had well and truly fallen from my eyes."

Pietersen's England career ended after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash, but he has been highly praised for his mentoring and leadership in the latter stages of his career, particularly at the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. He now commentates on the game, and is a leading animal rights campaigner against rhino poaching.