http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806 overjoyed to be back in England team – Cricket News Update
With his exile from the national team having come to an end, following a prolonged stand-off with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Kevin Pietersen took to Twitter to express his joy at having made it back into the England fold.
“BOOOOOOOOM!! The happiest days of my career have been playing cricket for ENG. Long may that continue! Thanks everyone for your kind words,” read a post by Pietersen on Twitter yesterday.
Pietersen ruffled many a feather in the ECB when he announced his retirement from international limited-overs cricket earlier this year – a decision which he claimed he’d made owing to the excessively busy international schedule, but which also brought his
commitment to England’s national team into question.
A keen participant in T20 tournaments, primarily the Indian Premier League, Pietersen’s support for T20 leagues, when put up against the ECB’s hostile stance on the subject, led to an inevitable clash.
The issue took a turn for the worse during South Africa’s tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 this summer, with stress levels soaring at the prospect of defending England’s top Test team ranking against the Proteas. However, not only did the team go on to lose the series and
their ranking, Pietersen ended up losing his place in the side.
The 32-year-old, despite having scored a stellar match-winning century in the second Test of the series, called a press conference during which he spoke about his strained relationship with the ECB, and the growing hostilities between himself and his England
teammates. However, the tables were turned completely when it was revealed Pietersen had sent text messages – alleged to contain either unsavoury comments about then skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964, or tactical advice – to South African players.
He was instantly dropped from the XI for the final Test, and was not named in the squad for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, despite having issued an apology. However, following England’s failures in Sri Lanka, the ECB resumed talks with Pietersen in
Colombo, and shortly afterwards, the board’s chairman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Charles-Giles-Clarke-c49957 announced at a press conference that Pietersen had been granted an ECB contract and would undergo a “reintegration” programme to ease him back into the set-up. If the programme was successful,
Pietersen would be considered for national selection.
With the tour of India looming on the horizon, the England squad was named but did not initially feature Pietersen in the line-up. However, recent talks with team director http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026, and a host of officials and
senior players, seem to have sped up the reintegration process, and Pietersen’s inclusion in the squad for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 was announced yesterday.
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