Pietersen defends 'brain-snap' dismissal

England may lament and Australia may lampoon his 'brain-snap' dismissal in the first innings of the ongoing first Ashes Test but a nonchalant Kevin Pietersen is in no mood to oblige his critics.

England may lament and Australia may lampoon his 'brain-snap' dismissal in the first innings of the ongoing first Ashes Test but a nonchalant Kevin Pietersen is in no mood to oblige his critics.

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Pietersen was going great guns at 69 when he stretched to play a pre-determined paddle sweep from way outside the off-stump off Nathan Hauritz and the ball brushed his helmet before finding Simon Katich, resulting in what the Australian media dubbed the 'brain-snap' dismissal.

Even his own admirers at home felt let down as Pietersen squandered a brilliant start which might prove decisive in the Test but the maverick batsman insisted he was not going to change his batting philosophy just to oblige fans and critics.

"The sooner people realise I will keep on playing shots, and I will keep on playing the way I play, the better," he said.

"I looked at the dismissal from the first innings and it does look quite funny and quite peculiar. But I'd actually played with a lot of restraint up until that point and I've played that paddle sweep so many times before," Pietersen told 'News of The World'.