Pietersen: Johnson won't catch us out at MCG

“I don’t feel intimidated by the Australians,” Pietersen said when asked about the sledging during the Perth Test. “I think when you’re under extreme amounts of pressure, you talk a lot more.

"We made a hiccup last week and yes, we were constructive in the criticism that we chucked around the team meeting about preparation. But we haven’t come out and made any bold, huge statements. We understand that they are very vulnerable — there are a lot of areas in their team that are very vulnerable.”

Australians reading this might be forgiven for thinking that it was their team who capitulated in Perth, not England.