Fletcher warns Pietersen to keep eye on the ball

Duncan Fletcher has warned Kevin Pietersen to keep concentrating on his batting and not get carried away by his stunning first year in international cricket.

Pietersen, who burst onto the international scene with three hundreds in seven one-day internationals against South Africa last year, became one of the biggest stars in the game after sealing England's first Ashes victory in 18 years with a brilliant 158 at The Oval. Last month he capped his season by scooping two awards at the ICC Awards in Australia: Emerging Player of the Year, and One-Day Player of the Year.

But, following reports that Pietersen was hoping to re-develop his offspin - an aspect of his game that was once his strongest suit - and become a genuine allrounder, Fletcher issued a wary response. "Obviously it would be useful for anyone to have an extra string to his bow, but Kevin's got to be careful. He's a top-four batter now, and when you're up there in the front line, it's very difficult to do two things at once."

"That's why we want to keep Andrew Flintoff at No. 6," Fletcher added. "I've spoken to Jacques Kallis about this on numerous occasions, and you just can't keep on doing both while still being the top batter in the side. Kevin is going to have to make a decision about what he wants to focus on."

Fletcher claimed that his earlier comments about Pietersen being "in for a shock" had been taken out of context, but he nonetheless re-iterated the pitfalls of international cricket. "He has come onto the scene quickly, and he just has to be careful that, when certain situations arise, he is ready to handle them. We are talking about basic cricket situations on the field. When your form drops off a bit, which can happen, and when luck runs against you a little bit, that can be a shock."

Ian Bell, added Fletcher, was one such player suffering from that situation. "Bell did very very well at the start, but now his form's dropped off. There isn't a cricketer that it hasn't happened to, so it's all about how you handle that situation. Good cricketers who come out of those slumps are the ones who go on to greater things."