Team was divided and riddled with cliques, claims Kieswetter

Success changed the England team and produced an environment dominated by cliques according to Craig Kiewsetter (in pic), the recently retired wicketkeeper-batsman who was man of the match in the 2010 World Twenty20 final.Kieswetter was forced to retire in June after suffering an horrific eye injury, having played 46 one-day internationals and 25 Twenty20 matches for England.

He describes how a united England team won the World Twenty20 five years ago but the atmosphere changed when the team reached no 1 in the world rankings 18 months later and was split between English and South Africa-born players."It wasn't just us competing against the opposition," Kieswetter said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo. "There was a sense that some of us were competing against one another. By the time we were No. 1 in the world, it was a very different dressing room.

"Success changed people. Cliques developed. There were jokes made in the dressing room if you had a South African background. When we warmed up in training, we were split into sides: South Africans v English."There was lots of talk about it in the media and here we were making it worse. It created an unnecessary divide. A sense of them and us.

"It grew worse. The Test players were together so much that, when the limited-overs players turned up, it felt like you were on the outside. The Test guys hung out with each other; the limited-overs guys hung out. The spirit I experienced in those first few weeks was never there again.

"And when I talk about cliques, sometimes the ECB made them. Players were exhausted and asking for time off, but would be told they couldn't have a central contract if they dropped out of one format. They were terrified to miss a game in case it counted against them and they lost their place.

Kieswetter's international career began in style with a one-day international century against Bangladesh and then the World Twenty20 where he opened the batting with Michael lumb and played the kind of attacking cricket England have just produced against New Zealand.

"Of all the England teams I played in over five years, that was the one that had the best spirit," he said. "To be honest, I don't remember it that clearly: we played golf, we went to the beach and we drank rum. Training tended to be optional. KP was at his best. So were Broad and Swann. But we were a proper team and everyone got on brilliantly.

"I started out playing with freedom; I ended up caged. I guess if I was in the current set-up I would thrive, but I had a good record as an opener and they asked me to bat at No. 6. It's tough, but I'm disappointed with the way I responded to it." he said.will not overstep mark against England: Clarke

As New Zealand prepare to exit the stage, Australia arrive to shift the mood by pushing aggression and sledging to the limit.

Sledging is a way of life in Australian cricket and England are no angels either with Anderson in trouble last summer for a spat with Ravindra Jadeja at Trent Bridge. "I am confident it will be played in the right spirit. On the field both teams will play hard and I know I probably say this every series but we will respect there is a line you cannot cross," said Clarke."Both teams might headbutt that line but I am confident we will not overstep the mark.

It's [aggression] how we play our best and it's a big part of the Australian way but you also need to keep in mind that there is a line you can't cross.

Daily Telegraph