Smith warns Pietersen faces hostile crowds

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has warned Kevin Pietersen he faces a hostile reception when the first Test begins at Centurion on Wednesday.

Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg and played first-class cricket for Natal in 1997 before moving to England after voicing his displeasure at the racial quota system in place in South Africa. He was given a tough time from the home crowds when he toured South Africa with England's one-day side in 2004-05 but responded sensationally, smashing 454 runs in six innings.

He is yet to play a Test in the country of his birth and while Smith insisted there was no hostility between Pietersen and the South African players, the South African public will not have forgotten the criticisms Pietersen made about their country's cricket system.

"He obviously gets a hostile reception from South African fans because he's made a lot of remarks about the country that I don't think he's ever apologised for, Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek. It's hard for people just to wash away those things and I think that's why people still give him a hard time.

"It creates a little bit of tension towards him. Our job is to play the game. From my perspective there's certainly no tension going into the game.

"It's up to the players to get on with it. You want the game of cricket to be remembered for some fantastic cricket. That's how I want cricket to be viewed by the fans and by the media.

"We've all moved on and got on with our lives. He [Pietersen] has really performed well in his international career. There's a cricket respect there."

Smith also maintained there was no tension between himself and Andrew Strauss, the England captain, despite their confrontation in the Champions Trophy match between the sides at Centurion earlier this year. Smith requested a runner towards the end of his 141 when he was struck down by cramp but Strauss refused, insisting that because cramp is a fitness problem and not an injury, it didn't merit a runner.

"There's always going to be differences of opinion between two captains of opposite nations, but there's very much a mutual respect. I've always said Andrew comes across as an intelligent guy, obviously captaincy is bringing out a different side to him. He's performed well and he seems to be managing the side well. There's no bad blood whatsoever."