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Kevin Pietersen’s rapid fall from grace was completed yesterday when the controversial batsman was left out of the England squads for the Twenty20 World Cup and the one-day series against South Africa.
Last week the 32-year-old was dropped for the third and final Test against South Africa at Lord’s after having sent “provocative” text messages about his own teammates and management to opposition players.
England slipped to a 51-run defeat to lose the series 2-0 and concede the number one Test ranking to South Africa. “Kevin Pietersen’s future involvement is still being determined and he was therefore not considered,” national selector Geoff Miller said as the squads were announced.
The South African-born batsman was one of the key players when England won the Twenty20 World Cup two years ago. England coach Andy Flower described the Pietersen issue as “a very sad situation for everyone involved”.
“He played superbly at the last Twenty20 World Cup but the circumstances that exist at the moment mean he can’t be selected,” Flower told Sky Sports television. “There are still unresolved issues and we will be addressing those when we have time to do so.”
Echoing the comments made by England Test captain Andrew Strauss last week, Flower said there were issues of “trust and mutual respect” that had to be sorted out.
“Let me be clear, this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin,” he added. “There are unresolved issues that have reared their heads in recent weeks and they have to be resolved before there is any way forward.”
ODI squad
Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes
Twenty20 squad
Stuart Broad (capt), Jonathan Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright