Kevin Pietersen willing 'to do anything' to play for England again and hints at altering IPL plans to play county cricket

Pietersen has been given hope of a surprise England recall after being exiled from the squad last year

Agency
Wednesday 18 March 2015 11:00 GMT
Comments
Kevin Pietersen wants to play for England again
Kevin Pietersen wants to play for England again

Kevin Pietersen would "love" to return to county cricket and the England set-up - and has hinted he could change his Indian Premier League commitments to make it happen.

Pietersen has not played for England since the Ashes tour of 2013/14, after which he was sacked and labelled "disengaged" by England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Paul Downton.

His controversial autobiography set him further on a collision course with many in the dressing room but incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves appeared to open the door to a recall in a recent interview.

Graves told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme on March 1 that "the first thing he has to do if he wants to get back is start playing county cricket", adding that the decision is "down to the selectors and I will support their decisions".

Pietersen has since been linked with several counties, among them Leicestershire and his most recent employers Surrey.

He has signed with Sunrisers Hyderabad for this year's IPL, which would significantly affect his availability for the start of the English domestic season.

Kevin Pietersen is in talks to return to the England team

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has challenged him to turn his back on that contract to prove his desire to play for England again and Pietersen's comments on the BBC's Test Match Special on Wednesday suggest he is considering that option.

"I have expressed my interest in trying to get back into the fold, it's something I want to do," he said.

"There's a few things that need tinkering with, but I do want to make the right decision.

ECB chairman Colin Graves has hinted that Pietersen could be recalled

"I've got to explore the options, I would have loved to have had it done sooner. I don't know how it's going to happen; I just have to wait and see.

"I'm in no rush because I really want to make the runs. I would love to get county runs.

"If I can do anything that can help me get back into it for England then it's something I want to do. I love playing for England."

South African-born Pietersen, 34, has played 104 Tests for his adopted country and scored 8,181 runs, adding another 5,616 in 173 limited-overs appearances.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in