England & Wales Cricket Board Chair Graves Opens Door To Pietersen Return

Incoming England & Wales Cricket Board Chair COLIN GRAVES has given England cricket player KEVIN PIETERSEN "a glimmer of hope that he may yet be able to resurrect his England career," according to the AFP. With England toiling at the World Cup and Pietersen having spoken of his eagerness to return to the team, Graves "has suggested that a return to English county cricket could open the door for a dramatic comeback." Graves said, "The first thing he has to do if he wants to get back is start playing county cricket. The selectors and the coaches are not going to pick him if he's not playing. It's as simple as that. I'll leave it at that" (AFP, 3/1). SKY SPORTS reported when asked for his reaction, Pietersen said, "I was pleasantly surprised this morning actually. The previous chat was clearly that I had been banned from playing for England and that I would never play for England again, which for me was incredibly sad" (SKY SPORTS, 3/1).