Michael Yardy has insisted that Sussex and former England teammate Matt Prior has always been a "team man" amid Kevin Pietersen's controversial bullying claims.

Axed England batsman Pietersen has claimed ahead of the release of his autobiography that wicketkeeper Prior led a bullying culture from within the dressing room.

Prior has promised to eventually answer the allegations himself, but his long-time colleague Yardy has jumped to his defence by insisting that the 32-year-old is a leader and will be "deeply hurt" by Pietersen's accusations.

"I think Matt is one of those guys that puts the team first and he will voice his opinions," Yardy told Sky Sports News.

"Unfortunately, sometimes with that you get labelled certain things, but Matt is 100% a team man and someone who cares about the team.

"By all accounts, he played a huge part in getting KP back into the England team after the South Africa series, so I'm sure he's deeply hurt and feels very disappointed."

Yardy played alongside both Pietersen and Prior during his limited-overs England career from 2006 to 2011.