Pietersen retires from limited overs cricket
England star Kevin Pietersen retired from all forms of international
limited overs cricket on Thursday, a decision which took the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) by surprise.
Pietersen, who will continue to be available for Test selection, said
in a statement he wished to step aside in order to give the next
generation of players a chance to bed in before the 2015 World Cup.
“After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today
announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket,” said
Pietersen, who turns 32 next month.
“With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing
demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step
aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain
experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015,” added Pietersen, who has
scored 4,184 runs at an average of 42 in one-day internationals.
Pietersen's decision comes less than four months before England are
due to launch the defence of their Twenty20 World Cup crown in
September.
The South Africa-born batsman was man of the tournament when England
won the title in the West Indies in 2010, and had indicated a
willingness to remain part of the T20 squad in Sri Lanka this year.
However ECB rules dictate that centrally-contracted players must make
themselves available for all forms of limited-overs cricket.
“I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, and
still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket,”
Pietersen said. “For the record, were the selection criteria not in
place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World
Twenty20.” AFP |