Andrew Strauss: No England recall for Kevin Pietersen

The former England captain does not expect his predecessor to return to the England fold

Andrew Strauss, left, and Kevin Pietersen (GETTY)

Andrew Strauss does not expect England to turn to Kevin Pietersen this summer and says it is “hard to see” any set of circumstances where he should be recalled.

The former England captain has been linked with the vacant post of director of cricket with the national side after the departure of the incumbent, Paul Downton, last week – a move that seemed to increase Pietersen’s chances of a recall since it was Downton’s decision to sack him in the first place after the disastrous 2013-14 Ashes series.

Pietersen has returned to Surrey after it was suggested by the new chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Colin Graves, that heavy scoring in domestic cricket might allow the batsman back in the England fold.

However Strauss, speaking in the Lord’s podcast, said: “If you look at it from pure cricketing logic, after this Ashes is over it’s quite hard to see a situation where Kevin Pietersen would come back into the side. You’re building to the next Ashes in two and a half years’ time and the World Cup in 2019.

“I think if you were to bring Kevin Pietersen back it would be a short-term measure to help you win the Ashes, but I can’t see that happening personally because there are too many bridges to build in too short a period of time. I think after the Ashes the story does move forward at that point.”

He added: “It’s very important for English cricket to move on from the Kevin Pietersen situation. That threatens to envelop everything at the moment. The story has become more of a distraction than actually him playing or not, it’s become that big.

“The ECB and England’s team efforts to move on from him haven’t worked so far, [but] by winning, that will allow them to move forward.”

Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart have also been strongly linked with the England role.