SYDNEY: England batsman Kevin Pietersen was fined Thursday after being caught speeding in a bright yellow Lamborghini sports car in southern Australia during a break between Tests in the Ashes series.
Fresh from England’s crushing victory over Australia in the second Test, Pietersen was returning from the picturesque Great Ocean Road when he was caught doing 121 kilometres (75 miles) per hour in a 100kph zone, reports said.
Police said a 30-year-old man driving a yellow Lamborghini was stopped and fined 239 dollars (234 US) after a laser detector caught him speeding. An England team spokesman confirmed that it was Pietersen.
The transport safety commission in Victoria state was quick to seize on the cricketing star as a road safety example.
“Pietersen out! Bowled out by the Christmas enforcement campaign,” the commission wrote on microblogging site Twitter. The 450,000-dollar Gallardo LP560-4 sports car was arranged for Pietersen — named Man of the Match Tuesday with a majestic Test best of 227 — by friend and bowling legend Shane Warne, who is an ambassador for Lamborghini. “This is Warnie’s patch and when I’m in town, he looks after me,” Pietersen told the Herald Sun newspaper ahead of his fateful drive.
He enthused about the sights on Twitter before being stopped by police, uploading pictures along the way. “Stunning beaches on The Great Ocean Rd.. Gorgeous drive!!” he wrote on his @kevinpp24 feed. He also posted a photo of the sleek luxury car with the caption: “Massive thanks to Lamborghini Melbourne & @warne888 for letting me play with this for a few days..”
