Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen makes it official: he will never play international cricket again.
As Pietersen prepares for another domestic T20 cricket sojourn with the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, SACricketmag.com chatted to the globetrotter about his future schedule. While he’s still trying to figure it out, he made one thing very clear: he will not be playing international cricket again.
‘No. Not at all. I’m done,’ Pietersen told SACricketmag.com. ‘I don’t want to jump into an international bubble anymore.’
‘I can pick and choose when I go on holiday,’ he continued from his hotel room in Dubai. ‘I’m still an icon in the T20 leagues and I want to keep it that way.
‘I just roam around the world and I love batting. I’m still trying to get the best out of myself, and my form shows that I still have the hunger.’
It was thought that the 36-year-old had been harbouring hopes of making a return to the international scene. Perhaps the #bringbackKP tweet on Monday in the light of Alastair Cook’s resignation as captain was never a serious call, but he’s made himself available to the England set-up on many occasions after he was sacked by them in 2014.
— KP (@KP24) February 6, 2017
When it surfaced last year that he would be eligible to play for the Proteas in 2018, social media promptly exploded.
‘If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,’ he told Cricket Australia last year. ‘Obviously, playing international is something I have done for a very long time. Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes I do, very much, so you never know.
‘The eligibility for South Africa is still [over] a year away. So we will have to wait and see but [an England call-up] is definitely still an option.”
Me playing for SA at the start of 2018. Ummmm, can I, @piersmorgan? ????????????
— KP (@KP24) February 18, 2016
If England refuse to lift your lifetime ban, then why not?
https://t.co/87nxv8rOJ2— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 18, 2016
Pietersen revealed earlier in the week that he’s opted out of this year’s IPL to spend more time with his family, and this is what’s prompted his decision to move away from the international scene for good.
He did, however, hint at featuring in South Africa’s inaugural Global T20 League at the end of the year.
‘I’ve played for the Dolphins for the last two years, but I haven’t organised my schedule yet. I just need to figure out what I want to do, but there will be space in my schedule for T20 cricket.’
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
