After making the provocative comment that England captain Eoin Morgan looked scared while facing Mitchell Starc, Kevin Pietersen decided to engage in an interesting Twitter conversation with former England captain and commentator Nasser Hussain.
The latter, working as a commentator in the mega event, put out a tweet asking Pakistan fans whom would they be supporting during the World Cup match between India vs England. "Question to all Pakistan fans: England vs INDIA, Sunday. Who you supporting?" the man who captained England in the 2003 World Cup asked with a winking emoji at the end of the question.
Hussain was pointing out the irony that for Pakistan to remain in contention for a semi-final spot, India need to beat the hosts. This puts the Pakistani fans in the unenviable position for having to cheer for their arch-rivals.
However, one of the first people to respond was none other than KP. The former flamboyant batsman wrote in response to Hussain's tweet: "Who you supporting, Nass?" This strange question received a response that was both hard-hitting and funny at the same time.
"England of course Kev. Same as you when England play South Africa at rugby," Nasser replied with another winking emoji. What the former England captain was hitting at was Pietersen's South African origin. This remained an issue in the English media throughout KP's career and became even more so when he was discovered to have sent messages to South African cricketers criticising his own captain Andrew Strauss during the home series of England against Proteas in 2012.
The fact that Pietersen publically stated that he now regrets leaving South Africa and even said that he remains a South African deep down further annoyed many English cricket fans. The reason why Hussain mentioned rugby is because that is the sport which evokes greatest passion among South Africans for their country.
The Springboks, as the country's national rugby team is called, are legendary for their prowess and have come to symbolise the country in many ways. One of the most iconic moments from the history of the nation was its victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup at home. One thing can be said with certainty, Pietersen loves stirring the hornet's nest.
