ALASTAIR Cook was a notable and surprising exception among a list of players and bosses at England cricket singled out for criticism by Kevin Pietersen.

Essex star and England captain Cook was widely tipped to come under fire from his former team-mate in the star batsman’s autobiography, which is released on Thursday, but has been previewed in the Daily Telegraph.

Cook refused to comment when Pietersen was axed from the England team after the 5-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia in winter.

Supporters of Pietersen, such as newspaper editor Piers Morgan, were quick to jump on Cook and slam him for not backing the South African-born star, with Morgan famously labelling the England captain “spineless”.

Pietersen, however, spoke positively about captain Alastair Cook in his first interview to promote his autobiography.

He said: “I’ve got great admiration for him (Cook).

“I hate to see the way he was this summer, because the ECB have put him in a very uncomfortable position and they could ruin his career. They literally could ruin his career.”

Pietersen was less complimentary about former Essex player and England coach Andy Flower who he said ruled by fear.

And he has also accused wicketkeeper Matt Prior of being a disruptive influence in the England dressing-room.

Prior is on the receiving end of Pietersen’s strongest criticism with the former Test batsman objecting to Prior’s portrayal as a “team man” and claims “a lot of people are very happy” the former vice-captain no longer has a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Pietersen claimed England’s bowlers, led by James Anderson and Stuart Broad, “ran the dressing room”, with fielders forced to apologise for errors and dropped catches.

But while he insists he still wants to return to the England team and would have no problem doing so alongside Broad and Anderson, Prior’s alleged part in the culture is a different matter.

“The bowlers were given so much power,” he said. “(Graeme Swann) was winning game after game for us. Broady was contributing. Jimmy was contributing. But these guys ran the dressing room.

“The thing that horrified me was when Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss said: ‘Guys we've got to stop this, it’s not right for the team, there are guys that have come to [us] that are intimidated to field the ball.’ “And (the bowlers) had the audacity to stand there and say: ‘No, if they’ve f***** up we deserve an apology.’ It’s the most angry I ever got in that dressing room.

“I thought, ‘I reckon I could hit these guys. Who do you think you are, to ask for an apology from someone who’s trying his heart out? Are you perfect, are you never going to drop a catch? Are you never going to bowl a wide?'

“But the double standard for me was the bigger thing. If one of them messed up – if Jimmy messed up, or Swanny – nothing was ever said. Prior left them alone. He never left alone (Nick) Compton or Ravi (Bopara) or (Jonathan Trott).

“I went after Prior and said Prior shouldn’t be in that side because he’s a bad influence, a negative influence – he picks on players. He’s back-stabbing, he’s horrendous, he’s bad for the environment.

“He’s one bloke that quite a few – I could count on more than one hand – have said: ‘Please can you tell the world what that guy’s like.’ “It’s only Prior that I’d seriously have real issues with, because of how he was portrayed as a team man, the heart and soul of the dressing room, when he was getting up to the stuff he was getting up to.”

Pietersen claimed: “He wanted to start a media campaign to stop me getting the vice-captaincy. That’s what I took him up on in January when I got sacked. Is that seriously the heart and soul of the dressing room? This big team player?”

For his part, Prior has vowed to take his time before having his right of reply.

He tweeted yesterday: “After this morning, I’m looking forward to reading the full kp book.

“Might bully my kids into getting it for me for Xmas!!”

 

KEVIN PIETERSEN ON EX ENGLAND COACH ANDY FLOWER

"HE built a regime, he didn’t build a team. I’ve told him this before. I told him during his coaching reign. I told him on numerous occasions: ‘You’re playing by fear here, you want guys to be scared of you. And Andy – I’m not scared of you.’ And he hated it.” Claiming he had warned Flower about Jonathan Trott’s struggles with anxiety, Pietersen added: “The day we travel after Trotty goes home, Andy Flower comes to me and shakes my hand. He says – ‘Can I shake your hand please?’ I was like – what? And he says – ‘Can I shake your hand?’ He says: ‘I should have listened to you.’ And just there and then I was like – uchh, go away.”