Former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden has stated that Kevin Pietersen's character has endeared him to Australian cricket supporters, following his snub by England.
New director of cricket Andrew Strauss has ruled out a return to the England side for the 34-year-old, despite him impressing during his spell with Surrey and posting a career-best 355 not out in a County Championship match against Leicestershire this week.
Pietersen's exile means that he will not be facing Australia in the Ashes series this summer, and Hayden says that this will be a disappointment for cricket fans.
"Kevin Pietersen probably couldn't be a greater foe to Australian cricket and to the Australian cricket team," he told BBC Sport. "Whether it's that classic Australian anti-authoritarian position that we seem to have bred into our genetics.
"But more than anything what we really love about Kevin Pietersen is his freedom and ability to be able to express himself within the game of cricket and more specifically with his bat.
"There have been very few players in the last one or two generations that have had the ability to entertain and direct their attention towards positive cricket like Kevin Pietersen has. He has captured the imaginations of all the Australian cricketing public, who love to see positive cricket, love to see the game moving forward. They don't even love to see it, they demand to see it."
Pietersen has slammed the ECB as "deceitful" after the door was closed on an international return.
Steven Toplis
