KEVIN PIETERSEN may have been left out of the England squad yesterday, but I’ve been really impressed with him so far at Hampshire. Until last Friday he hadn’t scored the runs he would have liked, and probably everybody expected, but his sheer talent was there for all to see against Kent and I would have him in the England team to face Australia.

It’s a harsh call on Graham Thorpe. He has done pretty well since he came back into the side and will do a decent job. The difference is that PK (we’ve given him that nickname by reversing his initials) hasn’t played against Australia before. He will come in fresh and unscarred. With Pietersen and Ian Bell, it means that five out of the top seven would be facing us for the first time.

The problem PK faces now is that Bangladesh are quite weak, so all of the England batsmen will finish the series with runs to their name and will then be difficult to drop. Cricket, though, is hard to predict. PK’s chance is sure to come because he’s such a good player and it will probably come when he doesn’t expect it.

I just think the cricket gods have been testing him this season. Don’t ask me to explain that. I just think that things happen for a reason. He had a great time over the winter and this is a mini-challenge to him to make sure he doesn’t lose his self-belief. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with his batting. All batsmen get out early from time to time and he’s had bad luck with things like inside edges.

This has been my first chance to look at him properly. I’d say he is the most dangerous batsman in the country, Freddie Flintoff included. But what has really struck me is his attitude. When he comes back into the dressing-room you wouldn’t know whether he has scored nought or a hundred. He doesn’t get fazed, just goes off to do his fitness training or joins the rest of us on the balcony and gets stuck in with the banter.

He reminds me of Michael Clarke in the way he goes about his game. They’re roughly the same age, similar bouncy personalities and very confident in their own ability. And they’ll both be around for a long time. They want everything now and are both hungry. It’s no secret that I’ve taken Clarke under my wing a bit and I’ve quickly struck up a good friendship with PK as well.

The first month has been very enjoyable from a Hampshire point of view.

We’ve played some excellent four-day cricket and poorly in a couple of one-day matches. I’m thoroughly enjoying the way we’re playing, continuing on from last year. The first division is a bit harder because teams seem to battle for longer — as Kent showed on Saturday.

Of the players I’ve come across this season, I’d say that Ed Joyce, of Middlesex, has most impressed me so far. He looked very calm at the crease and seemed to be in control of his game. Our own Chris Tremlett deserves his place in the England development squad. He is improving all the time and when he gets a little bit of what I think of as “Australian” in him, he’ll be even better. I hope I can help him there. His bowling against Kent was international class.

There have been a few issues in county cricket. It was disappointing that Chris Adams decided to make sledging an issue after we beat Sussex, but that matter is closed. He has had time to reflect and no doubt I’ll be giving him a ring in due course.

I couldn’t believe that Surrey were penalised five runs for tampering with the ball. If that’s all that happens I think I should start carrying sandpaper in my back pocket to give the ball a good scrape and get it hooping around. I don’t mind giving up five runs if we can get a couple of wickets.

Seriously, you won’t see any of that from Hampshire. I want us to play hard and tough and be in the faces of the opposition. But that will not stop us playing fairly and in the spirit of the game. Whenever a guy gets a fifty or a hundred against us, we give him a clap. He’ll have deserved it. And talking of hundreds . . .

At last, after 15 years in the game, I finally know how if feels to raise your bat on three figures. Since the innings last Wednesday I’ve had lots of messages from my buddies in Australia. Ricky Ponting suggested I’d want to bat higher than No 8 in the Ashes series. As the guy at No 7 is Adam Gilchrist, I reckon he was probably joking.