As England contested arguably the most important session in their Ashes summer, Kevin Pietersen was getting angry at SeaWorld

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Kevin Pietersen has blasted SeaWorld as a “shambles of an organisation” and claimed he will never enter one of their marine parks again after watching a documentary about a captive killer whale held there.

As the South African-born batsman's beloved former England colleagues were edging closer to a 2-1 lead in the third Ashes test match of the summer, the player took to Twitter to vent his anger at the Florida attraction.

The cricketer appeared to have regained his composure and remembered his patriotic duties by the time England had closed out their eight-wicket victory over Australia.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish was released in 2013 and focuses on a performing bull orca called Tilikum, who killed his SeaWorld trainer. It also interviews former SeaWorld trainers and describes the treatment of captive whales.

The cricketer is a keen conservationist and has worked to help protect rhinos in his native South Africa. In a series of tweets, he condemned the organisation and its treatment of whales as "disgusting" and "cruel", and urged the public not to support it.

SeaWorld responded to Pietersen's outburst by inviting him and his family for a guided tour to see the "world-class" care the mammals receive.

A spokesperson told The Independent: “It is unfortunate that Mr. Pietersen has based his opinion of SeaWorld solely on Blackfish. While the truth about our parks is available for anyone to see here, we would like to extend an invitation to him to visit SeaWorld as our guest.

“We would be delighted to show him and his family the depth of our commitment to these beautiful animals. Killer whales at SeaWorld receive world class husbandry and veterinary care and are not just healthy, they are thriving.

"The opportunity to see killer whales up close has inspired millions of people, especially children, to care more about marine animals, the oceans and the environment.”

Pietersen also reacted to the killing of Cecil the lion with fury earlier this week, condemning its hunter Walter Palmer as a “f**king rotten human”.