James Anderson disappointed with Kevin Pietersen's claims

Stung by some of the harsh remarks from former team-mate, Kevin Pietersen, who referred to him as a part of the seniors who acted as bullies in the team, England's premier pace bowler, James Anderson, said Pietersen's claims about a divided England dressing-room were blatantly wrong and he was 'saddened' by the issues brought up by the sacked batsman in his autobiography.

"The issues that have been brought up are sad really, the dressing room for the last seven or eight years when we've been winning has been amazing. You don't achieve what we have without guys pulling in the same direction. I can't get my head round it, he seems like he's just not enjoyed it for however long," Anderson said.

Anderson is the first active England player to respond to Pietersen's barbs after the book, KP: The Autobiography, went public.

Anderson said the contents of Pietersen's book will not act as a distraction when they take the field in late November - for a series of seven One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka. "We've got cricket to play - more important things to worry about than someone's book," he told an audience at a Hardy's wine event at Lord's on Thursday night.

Pietersen had harsh words to say about England's bowling attack, often referring them as a unit, who never hesitated in pulling up their team-mates for every small error on the ground. Pietersen softened the blow on the pacer though, referring to Anderson, as one of the ''nicest guys in the world."

Standing up for the rest of the team, Anderson hinted at the bitterness in KP's tone to the fact that he had been axed from the team by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). "This is not an ideal situation but its different with Kev. He never got a chance to stand up for himself in the dressing room because the opportunity to be in the dressing room was taken away from him by the powers that be. He is now venting his frustration through a book. You never get a team where everyone gets on together," Anderson added.