HAMPSHIRE new boy Kevin Pietersen began his first England tour today - faced with the challenge of replacing Andrew Flintoff.

Batsman Pietersen set off from Heathrow for England's seven-match tour of Namibia and Zimbabwe with the rest of the national squad - minus Steve Harmison, who has dropped out on moral grounds, and Marcus Trescothick and Flintoff, who have both been rested.

Now 24-year-old Pietersen, who qualified to play for England less than three weeks ago, is preparing to fill the void left by fellow big-hitter Flintoff.

He said: "I've been told I will replace Andrew Flintoff on this tour.

"Freddie bats at number five, and I wouldn't be surprised to be chucked in the middle order.

"I'd love to play as well as he has this year and it's just a case of going out there and trying to achieve that, but I will slip into whichever role they give me."

South African-born Pietersen is not concerned about the politicking over the morals of the tour, or captain Michael Vaughan's admission that he cannot wait for it to be over.

And the poor quality of the opposition does not concern him either.

He added: "I can't wait to get out there, I'm itching to get on the plane.

"I know Michael Vaughan is the England captain, and he can say what he likes, but this is an opportunity for me to shine and cement a place in the one-day side and that's all that concerns me.

"I know this Zimbabwe side isn't the best but I'm not worried about what people say, if I do well I can stick my hand up and say I'm ready for one day international cricket.

"It might not be a strong team but the games against Zimbabwe are still one-day internationals and when people look at my stats they will count towards my one-day international record.

"Being selected for England is a huge honour and it represents the height of my career. Getting my first call up is a huge buzz, it's really special."

Zimbabwe may be overwhelming underdogs but Pietersen has been dedicated in his preparation for the tour since completing his move from Notts to Hampshire last month.

He added: "I watched lots of videos of the Zimbabwe team last week so I know what to expect. The ECB had everything I needed to study the bowlers we're going to come across.

"It was all there on tap at the academy base in Loughborough. I've had a good look at the video of Zimbabwe's last game in the ICC Champions Trophy but there's no one player we're particularly worried about as individuals, it's about respecting the opposition as a whole."

The one disappointment for Pietersen is that he was not selected for England's Test tour of South Africa, because of the potential controversy that would surround an early return to his homeland with his adopted country.

He added: "It was very, very disappointing to miss out, but I know there are a few people ahead of me at this stage and I'm a positive person. It's just a case of batting well, scoring loads of runs and putting my hand up for selection by doing well in the middle."