:'
'''''(
'I will continue to play, regretfully not
for England' - Kevin Pietersen
England will enter a new era without
one of their greatest-ever batsmen
after the ECB decided not to consider
Kevin Pietersen for selection for the
forthcoming tour of the Caribbean and
subsequent World Twenty20.
A career that spanned 104 Tests and
more than 150 limited-overs
appearances over nine years, during
which time Pietersen became
England's leading run-scorer in
international cricket yet became one
of the most divisive players in their
history, now appears to be over.
The final separation comes little more
than a year after Pietersen's
successful "reintegration" to the team
on the tour of India.
The ECB said in a statement that the
decision had been unanimous among
the England management, adding that
"now was the time to start the
rebuilding process" after the
disappointment of being whitewashed
in Australia.
Kevin Pietersen's England career is
over © Getty Images
Enlarge
Paul Downton, the new managing
director of England cricket, has
overseen a strong-minded and
controversial decision in his first
week in the job.
He led discussions with Alastair Cook,
the Test and one-day captain, Ashley
Giles, the limited-overs coach who
has just returned from Australia, and
James Whitaker, the national selector.
Downton also met with Pietersen, who
had previously indicated his desire to
play on, tweeting that he was
"determined to help regain the Ashes
in 2015" in the wake of England's 5-0
defeat. there was even a
teleconference with the ECB's
executive board. Democracy has been
extensive, if as yet ill explained.
With the announcement of England's
World Twenty20 squad expected on
Thursday, the ECB took the
unprecedented step of holding "policy
meetings" solely to discuss the
eligibility of one player: Pietersen. He
spent the day of his sacking giving a
class on how to play spin bowling to
his Surrey team-mates at The Oval.
"Clearly this was a tough decision
because Kevin has been such an
outstanding player for England as the
fact that he is the country's leading
run scorer in international cricket
demonstrates," Downton said.
"However everyone was aware that
there was a need to begin the long
term planning after the Australia tour.
Therefore we have decided the time is
right to look to the future and start to
rebuild not only the team but also
team ethic and philosophy.
"England cricket owes a debt of
gratitude to Kevin who has proved to
be one of the most talented and
exciting players to ever represent the
country and his 13,797 runs are a
testimony to his immense skill. This
decision brings some clarity now for
the future of the England teams and we
all wish Kevin the very best in the rest
of his career."
Pietersen and his representatives
seemed to have accepted the
inevitable. Adam Wheatley, director of
Missions Sports Management,
Pietersen's agent, tweeted: "Had a
couple of meetings today. What's
everyone else been up to?"
In a statement released by the ECB,
Pietersen: "Playing cricket for my
country has been an honour. Every
time I pulled on the England shirt was
a moment of huge pride for me and
that is something that will live with me
forever.
"Although I am obviously very sad the
incredible journey has come to an end,
I'm also hugely proud of what we, as a
team, have achieved over the past
nine years. I feel extremely fortunate
to have played at a time of great
success for England cricket alongside
some of the best cricketers the
country has ever produced.
"I want to thank everyone for their
fantastic support and I wish the team
the very best of success going
forward. I believe I have a great deal
still to give as a cricketer. I will
continue to play but deeply regret that
it won't be for England."
The news of England forcibly retiring
one of their most experienced players
comes less than a week after Andy
Flower stepped down as team director
and follows the retirement of Graeme
Swann during the disastrous Ashes
tour.
Few would seriously contend that
there are valid cricketing reasons to
omit Pietersen for the World Twenty20
and, whatever rumours and counter-
rumours swirl around England's most
controversial son, no specific
examples of misbehaviour in Australia
have been made public.
England have not revealed any
disciplinary issues on the tour of
Australia, which could have led to an
official fine or reprimand. Neither
have they confirmed reports in the
Sydney Morning Herald that Pietersen
and Cook were involved in a ''heated''
discussion at the SCG members' bar
on the eve of the fifth Test.
People will wonder how Flower and
his extensive management team,
amounting to more than 20 backroom
staff, could still fail to manage
England's most maverick player - and
whether the supposedly collapsing
"team ethic and philosophy" is being
blamed solely on one man.
Michael Vaughan, the former England
captain, was one of the first ex-stars
to ask for clarification. "I think the
ECB have to explain to everyone
exactly what KP has done so we can
all have clarity and reasoning," he
tweeted.
I think the @ECB_cricket have to
explain to everyone exactly
what @KP24 has done so we can
all have clarity and reasoning ..
— Michael Vaughan (@
MichaelVaughan) February 4,
2014
There have been suggestions that
Cook's opinion would be highly
influential in the decision - it had even
been said in some quarters that he
would "have the final word" - yet if
that was true it would raise disturbing
inconsistencies. Cook might be
England's Test captain but he does not
even play Twenty20 cricket - yet his
opinion could have swung the
decision on whether Pietersen was
available for the World Twenty 20.
England's rejection of Pietersen will
now make him an even more coveted
asset in IPL. The IPL auction takes
place on February 12 and Pietersen,
even at 33, would be bound to attract a
sizeable bid if he was available for
the entire tournament and driven by a
determination to prove England wrong.
He is a free agent after being released
by Delhi Daredevils, who did not
retain any of their squad.
He remains centrally contracted to the
ECB and, although there has been no
indication of whether he will be treated
differently from any other England
player - those hoping to play in the IPL
must be back in the UK by May 13,
ahead of the limited-overs series
against Sri Lanka - the nature of the
joint statement suggests he can stay
for the duration. It will be intriguing to
see whether he also plays one-day
cricket for Surrey.
The 5-0 whitewash in Australia seems
to have reopened rifts in the England
dressing room. Pietersen is thought to
have regarded Flower's management
as overly intense and serious and was
thought to be hopeful that Giles, the
limited-overs coach, would encourage
a more relaxed environment. But
Pietersen was rested from the limited-
overs leg of the Australia tour as
England lost the ODIs 4-1 and went
down 3-0 in the T20 series.
Friction between Pietersen and the
ECB existed long before the Ashes
series. At the start of 2009, he lost the
captaincy after questioning the
qualities of the coach, Peter Moores,
who was also sacked; in 2012, he
retired from ODI and T20 cricket and
then was dropped after sending texts
to members of the touring South Africa
team.
Reports after the conclusion of the
Test series against Australia had
suggested that Flower wanted
Pietersen excluded from the England
set-up if he was to continue as team
director. Flower denied giving the ECB
an ultimatum but pointedly did not
extend his support to Pietersen.
Giles, the favourite to replace Flower
as team director, had previously
called Pietersen a "million-pound
asset" , when asked about his future in
Australia. If the decision to dispense
with his services was unanimous, that
represents quite a financial crash.
Cook was central to Pietersen's return
to the Test side in India in 2012, where
England claimed an historic series
victory. However, it seems that
support has evaporated for a player
routinely described as one of the most
exciting and talented ever to represent
England.
It is understood that Flower was not
part of the meeting about Pietersen's
future but he has remained as a
selector for an as-yet unstated interim
period and has indicated that he will
sit on the selection panel to choose
the one-day squads for the West
Indies and World Twenty20 in
Bangladesh.
Pietersen is England's leading run
scorer in all formats, with 13,797 runs
in 277 matches. He is fourth on
England's Test match runs list and
second in terms of centuries, behind
only Cook. Ahead of Pietersen playing
his 100th Test in the first match of the
Ashes in Australia, Mark Nicholas
wrote: "That he does so on Thursday
says much about his fabulous ability
and something more about a
ruthlessness in him that is not always
apparent. He is close to being
regarded as a truly great cricketer,
England's first since Ian Botham."
:''''''
'''''('I will continue to play, regretfully not
for England' - Kevin Pietersen
England will enter a new era without
one of their greatest-ever batsmen
after the ECB decided not to consider
Kevin Pietersen for selection for the
forthcoming tour of the Caribbean and
subsequent World Twenty20.
A career that spanned 104 Tests and
more than 150 limited-overs
appearances over nine years, during
which time Pietersen became
England's leading run-scorer in
international cricket yet became one
of the most divisive players in their
history, now appears to be over.
The final separation comes little more
than a year after Pietersen's
successful "reintegration" to the team
on the tour of India.
The ECB said in a statement that the
decision had been unanimous among
the England management, adding that
"now was the time to start the
rebuilding process" after the
disappointment of being whitewashed
in Australia.
Kevin Pietersen's England career is
over © Getty Images
Enlarge
Paul Downton, the new managing
director of England cricket, has
overseen a strong-minded and
controversial decision in his first
week in the job.
He led discussions with Alastair Cook,
the Test and one-day captain, Ashley
Giles, the limited-overs coach who
has just returned from Australia, and
James Whitaker, the national selector.
Downton also met with Pietersen, who
had previously indicated his desire to
play on, tweeting that he was
"determined to help regain the Ashes
in 2015" in the wake of England's 5-0
defeat. there was even a
teleconference with the ECB's
executive board. Democracy has been
extensive, if as yet ill explained.
With the announcement of England's
World Twenty20 squad expected on
Thursday, the ECB took the
unprecedented step of holding "policy
meetings" solely to discuss the
eligibility of one player: Pietersen. He
spent the day of his sacking giving a
class on how to play spin bowling to
his Surrey team-mates at The Oval.
"Clearly this was a tough decision
because Kevin has been such an
outstanding player for England as the
fact that he is the country's leading
run scorer in international cricket
demonstrates," Downton said.
"However everyone was aware that
there was a need to begin the long
term planning after the Australia tour.
Therefore we have decided the time is
right to look to the future and start to
rebuild not only the team but also
team ethic and philosophy.
"England cricket owes a debt of
gratitude to Kevin who has proved to
be one of the most talented and
exciting players to ever represent the
country and his 13,797 runs are a
testimony to his immense skill. This
decision brings some clarity now for
the future of the England teams and we
all wish Kevin the very best in the rest
of his career."
Pietersen and his representatives
seemed to have accepted the
inevitable. Adam Wheatley, director of
Missions Sports Management,
Pietersen's agent, tweeted: "Had a
couple of meetings today. What's
everyone else been up to?"
In a statement released by the ECB,
Pietersen: "Playing cricket for my
country has been an honour. Every
time I pulled on the England shirt was
a moment of huge pride for me and
that is something that will live with me
forever.
"Although I am obviously very sad the
incredible journey has come to an end,
I'm also hugely proud of what we, as a
team, have achieved over the past
nine years. I feel extremely fortunate
to have played at a time of great
success for England cricket alongside
some of the best cricketers the
country has ever produced.
"I want to thank everyone for their
fantastic support and I wish the team
the very best of success going
forward. I believe I have a great deal
still to give as a cricketer. I will
continue to play but deeply regret that
it won't be for England."
The news of England forcibly retiring
one of their most experienced players
comes less than a week after Andy
Flower stepped down as team director
and follows the retirement of Graeme
Swann during the disastrous Ashes
tour.
Few would seriously contend that
there are valid cricketing reasons to
omit Pietersen for the World Twenty20
and, whatever rumours and counter-
rumours swirl around England's most
controversial son, no specific
examples of misbehaviour in Australia
have been made public.
England have not revealed any
disciplinary issues on the tour of
Australia, which could have led to an
official fine or reprimand. Neither
have they confirmed reports in the
Sydney Morning Herald that Pietersen
and Cook were involved in a ''heated''
discussion at the SCG members' bar
on the eve of the fifth Test.
People will wonder how Flower and
his extensive management team,
amounting to more than 20 backroom
staff, could still fail to manage
England's most maverick player - and
whether the supposedly collapsing
"team ethic and philosophy" is being
blamed solely on one man.
Michael Vaughan, the former England
captain, was one of the first ex-stars
to ask for clarification. "I think the
ECB have to explain to everyone
exactly what KP has done so we can
all have clarity and reasoning," he
tweeted.
I think the @ECB_cricket have to
explain to everyone exactly
what @KP24 has done so we can
all have clarity and reasoning ..
— Michael Vaughan (@
MichaelVaughan) February 4,
2014
There have been suggestions that
Cook's opinion would be highly
influential in the decision - it had even
been said in some quarters that he
would "have the final word" - yet if
that was true it would raise disturbing
inconsistencies. Cook might be
England's Test captain but he does not
even play Twenty20 cricket - yet his
opinion could have swung the
decision on whether Pietersen was
available for the World Twenty 20.
England's rejection of Pietersen will
now make him an even more coveted
asset in IPL. The IPL auction takes
place on February 12 and Pietersen,
even at 33, would be bound to attract a
sizeable bid if he was available for
the entire tournament and driven by a
determination to prove England wrong.
He is a free agent after being released
by Delhi Daredevils, who did not
retain any of their squad.
He remains centrally contracted to the
ECB and, although there has been no
indication of whether he will be treated
differently from any other England
player - those hoping to play in the IPL
must be back in the UK by May 13,
ahead of the limited-overs series
against Sri Lanka - the nature of the
joint statement suggests he can stay
for the duration. It will be intriguing to
see whether he also plays one-day
cricket for Surrey.
The 5-0 whitewash in Australia seems
to have reopened rifts in the England
dressing room. Pietersen is thought to
have regarded Flower's management
as overly intense and serious and was
thought to be hopeful that Giles, the
limited-overs coach, would encourage
a more relaxed environment. But
Pietersen was rested from the limited-
overs leg of the Australia tour as
England lost the ODIs 4-1 and went
down 3-0 in the T20 series.
Friction between Pietersen and the
ECB existed long before the Ashes
series. At the start of 2009, he lost the
captaincy after questioning the
qualities of the coach, Peter Moores,
who was also sacked; in 2012, he
retired from ODI and T20 cricket and
then was dropped after sending texts
to members of the touring South Africa
team.
Reports after the conclusion of the
Test series against Australia had
suggested that Flower wanted
Pietersen excluded from the England
set-up if he was to continue as team
director. Flower denied giving the ECB
an ultimatum but pointedly did not
extend his support to Pietersen.
Giles, the favourite to replace Flower
as team director, had previously
called Pietersen a "million-pound
asset" , when asked about his future in
Australia. If the decision to dispense
with his services was unanimous, that
represents quite a financial crash.
Cook was central to Pietersen's return
to the Test side in India in 2012, where
England claimed an historic series
victory. However, it seems that
support has evaporated for a player
routinely described as one of the most
exciting and talented ever to represent
England.
It is understood that Flower was not
part of the meeting about Pietersen's
future but he has remained as a
selector for an as-yet unstated interim
period and has indicated that he will
sit on the selection panel to choose
the one-day squads for the West
Indies and World Twenty20 in
Bangladesh.
Pietersen is England's leading run
scorer in all formats, with 13,797 runs
in 277 matches. He is fourth on
England's Test match runs list and
second in terms of centuries, behind
only Cook. Ahead of Pietersen playing
his 100th Test in the first match of the
Ashes in Australia, Mark Nicholas
wrote: "That he does so on Thursday
says much about his fabulous ability
and something more about a
ruthlessness in him that is not always
apparent. He is close to being
regarded as a truly great cricketer,
England's first since Ian Botham."
:'
'''''
