The door has been emphatically slammed on Kevin Pietersen playing cricket for England at the upcoming World Cup – or anywhere else.

As recently as Friday, after making his Big Bash League debut for the Melbourne Stars, Pietersen reiterated his desire to return to the international stage and said his “phone is on” for an England recall.

His hopes appeared boosted when Alastair Cook was axed as England’s one-day captain – a move Pietersen had called for – and replaced by his good friend Eoin Morgan heading into the World Cup starting in February, and the tri-series with Australia and India that precedes it.

“Great news that @Eoin16 is new England 1-day captain. Top player, leader and bloke. Hope I get to play for him,” Pietersen tweeted on Saturday.

But the powers back in England made it clear the outspoken, controversial but prolific batsman remained firmly on the outer, where he’s been since the disastrous Ashes tour last summer amid the public fallout that followed.

“The ECB management made this decision in January and it is the same decision now,” national selection panel member James Whitaker told UK newspaper The Telegraph.

“There is no way that Kevin Pietersen will ever get back into an England team.”

England Cricket managing director Paul Downton offered similar sentiments about 34-year-old Pietersen’s chances of adding to his England career of 104 Tests, 136 one-day internationals and 37 Twenty20s.

“We parted company with Kevin in January because throughout the ECB management, from the dressing room up to the board, it was felt that it was the right decision to go in a slightly different direction,” said Downton.

“If anything more bridges have been burnt by Kevin’s book. There is no interest from our point of view in going backwards.

“We’ve got an exciting group of young players and Eoin’s excited to be working with those guys. He wants to fulfil that team’s potential.”