Pietersen still craves England return

Exiled England batsman Kevin Pietersen has not given up on returning to international cricket and believes current ODI captain Eoin Morgan would welcome him back into the one-day side.

Pietersen was unceremoniously dumped after England’s 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia last year and has since published a tell-all biography highly critical of England management, former coach Andy Flower and several teammates.

“I was sacked … I don’t know why I’m not playing for England – I haven’t got a clue,” Pietersen told Ricky Ponting in a wide-ranging interview during Channel 10’s Big Bash League broadcast on Tuesday night.

“Never (have I been given a reason). They’re not allowed to; for legal reasons, they’re probably weren’t allowed to, and they still haven’t embellished on anything.

“(But) I know that the current captain would love to have me in the England team.”

Morgan replaced Alastair Cook as skipper of the one-day side in December and had previously spoken out in defence of Pietersen before taking on the role.

When pressed on his assertion that Morgan would welcome him back into the fold, Pietersen didn’t back away from the claim.

“I think he probably would, yeah,” he said. “I don’t see why not, I’m hitting it okay and I get along pretty well with most of the guys in there, if not all of them, so yeah, I don’t see why not.”

In his book, Pietersen revealed what he believed to be a bullying culture in the England dressing room cultivated by a clique of players, but he’s confident that is no longer the case.

“The majority of those guys are gone – they’re not in the side anymore,” he said.

England management has made it clear it has closed the book on the controversial batsman in the 12 months since his sacking.

Pietersen, however, is undeterred, adding that his age should not count against him and offering up the example of Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara to back his point.

“I want to play for England. If I get the opportunity to play for England, I’m 34 years of age, Kumar Sangakkara is (37) and he’s just scored a double hundred,” he said.

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