England Cricket News: Wandering Kevin Pietersen preparing to join KwaZulu-Natal
Wandering English cricketer Kevin Pietersen will be going back to his roots next month after the struggling England batsman agreed to a short-term deal with KwaZulu-Natal in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 this winter.
30 year old Kevin Pietersen – if he gets clearance from the ECB - will play two 4-day matches for KwaZulu-Natal from October 7 to 17. The first match will be against North West while the second and last would be against Eastern Province. The last obstacle for the deal would be the approval of Cricket South Africa. Hence the final say comes down to the CSA chief executive Gerald Majola.
"I'm extremely keen to get as much cricket as possible under my belt before a challenging and exciting winter," said Pietersen. He added, "My sole focus is to continue playing a leading role for England and joining Natal is the perfect opportunity to prepare in excellent conditions immediately before the Ashes. These two matches would enable me to work on my game against the Kookaburra ball in southern-hemisphere conditions, which is the ideal preparation for Australia."
Pietersen was axed from the T20 and ODI squads of England that are currently playing Pakistan. Pietersen endured a torrid summer - against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, Australia and Pakistan - in which he could pass the fifty run mark only once.
Pietersen had been struggling for form in Test as well as limited-overs cricket since his clinical performances in the World T20 Championship in the Caribbean that earned him the Man of the tournament award. In the recently concluded 4-match Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, Pietersen has compiled a meagre 140 runs with a top-score of 80 (in the second test at Edgbaston).
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Glamorgan-c784 in the Championship.
The England coach Andy Flower offered his blessings to Kevin Pietersen’s desire to play in South Africa. "We're very pleased Kevin is seeking to get some more high quality cricket at a crucial period before the Ashes," Andy Flower, the England coach, said. "We are well aware of Kevin's attention to detail and thoroughness when it comes to preparation, and he would gain a great deal from working on his batting against tough opposition in South Africa."
Tags: