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Leagues and Governing Bodies

New England Cricket Dir Strauss Invites Criticism By Leaving Pietersen Off Team

Kevin Pietersen’s hopes of returning to play for England appear dead in the water after his former teammate and current director of English cricket Andrew Strauss cited a “massive trust issue” between the pair. Strauss was speaking at Lord’s cricket ground in his first meeting with the media following his recent appointment to oversee the running of the England team, which has been struggling as of late. Strauss said, “Over the years the trust between me and him [Pietersen] has eroded and the fact is there is a massive trust issue between us. We have decided there is no place [for Pietersen] in the short term.” He added, “We can’t have a situation where the ECB [England & Wales Cricket Board] and Kevin Pietersen don’t trust each other.”

WAIT AND SEE
: Strauss said the tension between the pair meant that Pietersen would not be considered for selection until at least after the summer Ashes series. While Strauss said Pietersen was not “banned” from playing for England, he gave little indication that the England team would pick Pietersen again, despite him being widely acknowledged as the best English batsman of his generation. One possible way for Pietersen to regain the trust of Strauss and the ECB would have been to accept a consultancy role to England’s one day side, but Pietersen has rejected the offer. The 34-year-old South African-born cricketer was sacked by England in early '14 but is hoping to return to the fold by playing well in county cricket. On Tuesday, ironically, he scored a career high 355 not out in a county match.

THE TWITTERVERSE: High-profile Pietersen supporters took to Twitter to defend him. Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne tweeted, “If Strauss wanted instant public acceptance & the whole country to support Eng again, he should have said, 'I want KP back in the team' !!!" Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith tweeted, “I see the head boy is making English cricket the laughing stock again.”

John Reynolds is a writer in London.

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