Kevin will have to play for team now

Hugh Morris, the England team managing director, Kevin Pietersen and Geoff Miller, the national selector, at the announcement of the new England captain at Lord's cricket ground.

The former England international, who has taken 234 one-day wickets and 229 in Tests, gives his view. Kevin Pietersen will love it as England skipper and it could take him to a new level. Is he the right choice? He was probably the only choice because he is the only one who you would say has deserved to keep his place in the team and you would expect to be around for the Ashes next year too. Andrew Strauss was probably the best Test choice, but will he keep his place in the team for the next 12 months?

Robert Key was an outsider and Freddie (Flintoff) was another I would have considered. I thought he did well as captain before. He is a great leader on the pitch, but maybe the team want him to concentrate on his form and fitness and not add the pressure of captaincy just now. After Michael Vaughan's decision, Paul Collingwood has had a chat and stepped down as one-day captain and that's probably a good thing too as it means he can concentrate on his batting.

He showed magnificent strength and character with that century in the second Test when everyone was on his back. I was one of those who thought he should have been dropped and fair play to Colly for responding like that. Pietersen has always loved a challenge and will relish the chance to show he can be the best player and best captain. He has always enjoyed the spotlight and captaining England is a dream for any player.

But it is a hard job, too. There is a lot of pressure, and Pietersen will have to deal with that. He will know that the media will love you at the start, but if he has a difficult time then it can get nasty. He will love starting it off against South Africa in the fourth Test, but he has not got an easy start after that with India, West Indies in the Caribbean and then Australia next summer. The Ashes can make or break you. But this is the opportunity Pietersen has wanted and I hope he is given time and support and if he does a good job he could make it his for years to come.

What he also has to show is that he can be selfless and play for the team. There are times he has been criticised for playing for himself, but he has wanted to show he is the best. I don't know if he can play any better than he has because he's a superb player already, but this will give him added responsibility, make him a better all-round player, and he has to think about other things than himself.

When he's out there batting and there's a risky shot on, he might have to think twice because you can't always take chances as a captain. He has to lead and set the example for the rest of the team. It's never easy changing and he might stick to what he knows and does best, but he does not want to invite criticism upon himself. I thought Vaughan was an excellent leader and should have stayed in the team and as captain until the Ashes.

He was respected by the players because he looked after them and supported them. The outside pressures have affected him and he obviously felt it was the right time to stop. Maybe Vaughan became a bit more guarded after taking the job. It has taken a bit of out of him and maybe changed him. It won't be a problem coming back into the team as a player, not captain. It's happened in the past with people like Nasser Hussain and Graham Gooch.

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