And it could be argued that Shane Warne has made his first impact on the series. Yesterday Pietersen was given the use of a Lamborghini, the A$475,000 (£296,000) Gallardo LP560-4. As an ambassador for Lamborghini, Warne had generously made the arrangements for Pietersen.
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"This is Warnie's patch", said KP discreetly, "and when I'm in town he looks after me. Just the same as Sachin [Tendulkar] does in Mumbai or [Sourav] Ganguly in Kolkota".
Inevitably the car was bright yellow and almost inevitably Pietersen – once he had established how to open the fuel cap – could not resist. He was stopped for speeding in the outskirts of Melbourne for driving at 121kph and fined A$239 (£149) and docked three points.
Yesterday, Pietersen told his thousands of followers on Twitter that he was looking forward to the experience. Before he was stopped, he tweeted enthusiastically: "Great Ocean Road today ..." Once under way, he added: "Stunning beaches on The Great Ocean Rd.. Gorgeous drive."
At last, then, some cheer for the Australians, but we are not in Tiger Moth territory. In 1990 David Gower hired a light aircraft in Queensland and alongside John Morris, "bombed" the ground, where England were playing against the state side. The tour management had a sense of humour failure; a merry jape became a major issue and morale frittered away as a consequence. This time around everyone is just trying not to guffaw too brazenly in Pietersen's presence. No disciplinary action will be taken.
Pietersen is not the first visiting sportsman to face traffic trouble in Melbourne. Earlier this year Lewis Hamilton was stopped by police for anti-social driving and had his car impounded.
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