http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806 dismayed with exclusion from India tour – Cricket News Update
Out-of-favour England batsman Kevin Pietersen has expressed his dismay at having been excluded from the squad for the Poms’ tour of India later this year, despite extensive efforts to reach a reconciliation with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The Test squad for the 4-match series against India, due to be played from November 15 to December 17, was announced on September 18, and featured http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Eoin-Joseph-Gerard-Morgan-c56032 as new additions to the batting order, but no Pietersen.
Speculations regarding the resolution of the spat between the ECB and Pietersen, and the possible inclusion of the right-hander (who is currently working as a TV pundit in Sri Lanka, for the ongoing http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20) in the extended-overs squad against
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hugh-Morris-c63550 revealed that talks with Pietersen were still ongoing, and he had not been considered for selection.
“Kevin Pietersen is very disappointed about today's decision having gone to great lengths to reach a reconciliation with the ECB,” read a statement released by the 32-year-old’s management, going on to state that Pietersen had met with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964, and
apologised to the former Test captain in person.
The release also revealed that Pietersen had met newly-appointed Test skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-G-Collier-c52800
and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758”.
“He has also made it absolutely clear to the ECB and the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 team that despite unsubstantiated allegations to the contrary and repeated media speculation he did not offer any tactical advice to the South Africans. Pietersen remains available for England,”
read the conclusion of the statement.
The new development reveals that the spat between Pietersen and the board is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. The contention emerged after the hard-hitting batsman retired from international limited-overs cricket earlier this year.
Issues including his commitment to playing the Indian Premier League at the expense of national duties, the ECB’s refusal to include him in the WorldTwenty20 squad, and the revelation that he had sent derogatory text messages targeting Andrew Strauss and
Andy Flower to members of the then-visiting South African team, further escalated the tension.
Despite his apology to the board, his decision to retract his retirement and make himself available for all formats, and subsequent meetings with various officials from the board management, the issue is yet to be resolved.
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