Pietersen skittled by 13-year-old

Kevin Pietersen was bowled first ball by a 13-year-old boy today as he showed children on a South London council estate how to play cricket. The England batsman was launching an ECB/nPower venture called Urban Cricket, which will distribute 60,000 free bats and balls to disadvantaged youngsters.

On a concrete "pitch", with signs saying "no ball games" all around, Pietersen took guard and was bowled middle stump by Danny, a pupil at The City of London Academy in Bermondsey. "It was nothing special," Danny, who also plays for Surrey under-13s, said. Pietersen made sure he hit his next three balls from other children out of the estate.

The ECB sees Urban Cricket as a version of football's "jumpers for goalposts" or "cricket in its rawest form" as the organisers would have it; children should be encouraged to play anywhere, any time with the minimum of fuss.

What was going on at the Ledbury Estate in Bermondsey was a far cry from the champagne and jazz bands that will greet visitors to Lord's for the Test match next week. There was a DJ playing loud music by the Black Eyed Peas and several people performing break dancing (whether it was leg or off break was difficult to tell). There was also the sight of David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, in a bomber jacket telling an aide "I haven't got a hoody; I want a hoody".

Pietersen himself grumbled slightly at having to change his outfit, a blue-and-white Huggy Bear top being cast aside for an nPower-branded T-shirt. After he had showed the children how to flay (most) bowling around the park, his girlfriend, Jessica Taylor, a singer with Liberty X, was given the plastic bat to wield. Her technique was solid, favouring shots through mid-wicket, which perhaps shows the influence of her boyfriend.

Pietersen told journalists that he was in peak condition for the first Test against Sri Lanka. "I'm as fit as I can be and raring to go," he said. "It hasn't been a long break (since the one-day series against India earlier this month) but I know that I am hitting balls as well as I have ever done in my entire career." Pietersen exemplified that with a flamboyant 98 for Hampshire on Monday against Essex.

The batsman will play for his county again against Middlesex on Sunday but it could be a long time before he next joins his county team-mates given the packed international schedule.

On England's growing injury crisis, Pietersen admitted concern but said that injuries give opportunities to other players. "The guys who came in in India took their chances with both hands. Shah did well. Little Alastair Cook did well," he said. "Let's hope that by November everyone is fit and we can smack Australia."

He poured scorn on the inevitable barracking from Australia players in recent weeks, particularly complaints from the likes of Matthew Hayden that England rely too strongly on Andrew Flintoff. "We're expecting that, I'm just waiting for Glenn McGrath to come up with something," Pietersen said, pointing out that "without Shane Warne, England would have won 4-1" last summer.