Johannesburg - Newly-signed Dolphins batsman Kevin Pietersen says his playing fee was a good deal for both parties.
It was announced on Tuesday, the all-time leading run-scorer for England would turn out for the Durban franchise in the first five games of the Ram SLAM T20 challenge in November.
“We had good negotiations, I'm not going to sit here and say how much money I'm being paid but it's a good deal for everybody,” said the 35-year-old.
While the player would have a two-week period to ply his trade near his parents who still live in Westville, he said the key to being successful was to approach any role in a professional manner.
“If you want to perform around the world you have to take emotion out of what you do,” said Pietersen.
“You've got to get out there and do the business. I think that's why I've been successful around the world, because emotion muddles the brain.”
The deciding factor for the South African-born Pietersen was the influence of former Proteas captain Graeme Smith.
“It came about through my really good friendship with Graeme Smith. Biff has been talking to me about it for a long time. The dates fitted for the first two weeks of November.
“He's become a really close friend. We've just been together in the bush at his house with a load of the other guys - [Mark] Boucher, [Jacques] Kallis and Damien Martyn.
“We almost nailed it [playing in the RAM SLAM T20] last year but something came up and I had to pull the pin. Biff and I were commentating at the World Cup and he just kept asking me to come play here - So when the schedules opened up, and there was an opportunity to play in Durban I was like 'yup, I'm all yours'.”
Dolphins coach Lance Klusener said Pietersen would add great value to his team. “I'm extremely excited to have someone like Kevin, someone who has won trophies around the globe,” said Klusener.
“We at Dolphins have a winning culture. We've won this tournament before, and hopefully Kevin is going to bring winning. We want to win every competition that we play, and Kevin will add to that. He's here to bolster our batting, but also to lead our youngsters. He's someone who trains extremely hard, and also to leave a legacy.”
Pietersen said he looked forward to being successful with the Dolphins.
“The superstar next to me [Lance Klusener] is someone who I grew up watching, idolising and loved,” said Pietersen.
“It will be nice to share a dressing room with Zulu [Klusener]. I hope we can play some winning cricket. I want to contribute on the field, but it's also about giving back to the youngsters and developing their game. I know when I was a youngster, playing around international players while I was still making my way into the game, it gave me great confidence and belief. It also helped me to watch how these guys trained and went about their business. Hopefully the guys can benefit from my meticulous approach to my game.” - African News Agency (ANA).