England captain Michael Vaughan reckons Kevin Pietersen can become one of the game's greats so long as he does not let his new-found fame go to his head.
Pietersen has enjoyed the limelight following the Ashes win over Australia, but his private life is under scrutiny.
He and partner Caprice were centre of attention at this week's International Cricket Council's awards dinner.
But Vaughan told the Daily Mail: "As long as we can keep him grounded, he can become one of the very best."
And while Vaughan exalts his team-mate to such a level, he admits he had concerns over the batsman's ability to perform in the Test arena.
I found it odd and childish, the kind of thing you'd say in the playground
Vaughan on South African Graeme Smith's jibes
"Initially I wondered if he was just a banger but those doubts were dispelled once I spent a bit of time with him in the middle," Vaughan explained.
"There isn't a lot that hasn't already been said about Kevin Pietersen, even though he has only been in Test cricket two minutes - he has made that big an impact."
Vaughan also said that during England's 2004-05 tour of South Africa, captain Graeme Smith had continually called him "*****" and labelled all-rounder Andrew Flintoff a "big baby".
"I found it odd and childish, the kind of thing you'd say in the playground," Vaughan was quoted as saying.
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Published: 2005/10/13 07:42:32 GMT
