AP – Kevin Pietersen says he has no plans to play in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League following his retirement from one-day international cricket.
England’s mercurial batsman insisted on Sunday he had no option but to quit ODIs last week because he risked falling out of love with cricket altogether and he wants to keep playing Tests for at least four more years.
It means he will play no part in the forthcoming month of limited-overs cricket against the West Indies and Australia, any more future 50-over fixtures – including the 2015 World Cup – or, as it stands, England’s defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka.
But he made it clear he had no intention at present of adding Australia’s high-profile domestic competition to a T20 portfolio which already includes the Indian Premier League and Surrey.
“I’m not playing Big Bash,” he said.
Pietersen still harbours hope of a compromise between him and his England employers, who pointed out his contract does not allow him to pick and choose formats, so that he can return to Twenty20 at some point.
That does not mean, though, that he has any regrets about his controversial decision last week to call time on his ODI career.
“It’s a shame I have to make the decision, but that’s the schedule we’ve got,” he said after making 78 for England on day four at Edgbaston in the third Test against the Windies.
“If I played for another country, there are chances to be rested for a month or two maybe.
“But you don’t get that playing for England, so I had to make a decision on it – and you know what it is.
“I can’t play at my peak and in every single game and enjoy it when I play all forms, train every day – you fall out of love with it.”
He hopes the break he will take after the Windies Test series, and others in future, will allow him to play five-day cricket for another four years at least.
“I want to play until I’m 35,” he said.