Although Flintoff and Pietersen seemed friends when England famously defeated Australia in 2005, that relationship reportedly soured as the pair took different sides in a clash over whether England coach Peter Moores should retain his job during early 2009, a situation that led to KP resigning as captain of the team.
More recently, with Pietersen having been effectively exiled from international cricket by the ECB following last summer’s disastrous Ashes series in Australia, the South African-born all-rounder released a tell-all book that describes a culture of bullying within the English dressing room.
Flintoff, though, may have been having fun with Gilchrist on Twitter on Tuesday night but there seemed a more serious edge when he declared through the social media service: “And don't you and your mates try and bully @KP24 , he's very sensitive @gilly381 !! #bigbash.”
I hope your chat in the commentary box will be better than the dribble you spouted from behind the stumps @gilly381 ! Can't wait mate
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014I'll be honest I'm more worried about Punter he used to stare at me a little too long , think he may have a mancrush @gilly381 #awkward
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014@flintoff11 and you better make more of an impact in @BigBashLeagueHQ than you did in your boxing career big fella #gladimnotfacingyou
— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) November 4, 2014Just by walking onto the field will make more of an impact than my illustrious boxing career @gilly381 !
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014@flintoff11 can't beat that really. You win for now...but don't edge one early. Those with the mic always have last say!
— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) November 4, 2014concerned I'm going to be on the mic batting all I need is you in my ear again and you'll need the beeper ready when I'm out @gilly381 !!
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014And don't you and your mates try and bully @KP24 , he's very sensitive @gilly381 !! #bigbash
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014Got @KP24 figured out @BaileyGeorge82 been practising my left arm spin coming out nicely , even Yuvraj got him out #flightandgyle @gilly381
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014Think me and @KP24 will have to go on the attack this winter @piersmorgan !! Going to be fun with @gilly381 and Co
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014Off to bed us professional sportsmen need our rest !! Enough twitter fun for tonight , goodnight @gilly381
— andrew flintoff (@flintoff11) November 4, 2014KP’s claims have been somewhat backed by former England paceman Steve Harmison, although the bowler’s column for the Newcastle Chronicle suggest Pietersen wasn’t always a victim.
“The culture of bullying, if you want to call it that, had to be nipped in the bud,” Harmison wrote.
“It wasn’t. “That was a big mistake. It was allowed to go on and on, until Kevin clearly believed the other senior players were against him. However, I struggle a bit to see Kevin Pietersen as a bullying victim. That’s hard to picture.
“I’m not saying he was a bully but I saw for myself the way he could behave towards guys that ‘weren’t up to it’. He didn’t give James Taylor or Michael Carberry much of a chance. KP wasn’t afraid to criticise.”