(Adds Pietersen statement)
* Conciliatory interview fails to sway ECB
* Pietersen “gutted” to be dropped
* Bairstow replaces Pietersen for final test
Aug 12 (Reuters) – Controversial batsman Kevin Pietersen
said he was “gutted” after being dropped on Sunday from the
England squad for the third and final test against South Africa
amid speculation of dressing room tensions with his team mates.
Pietersen was left out because he failed to confirm he did
not send derogatory text messages about team mates to the
opposition, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said.
The future of Pietersen, who hit a stunning century in the
drawn second test at Headingley, had been under a cloud since he
raised the possibility of quitting England with comments at the
conclusion of the match on Monday.
“To say I am gutted is an understatement,” Pietersen said in
a statement to Sky Sports on Sunday.
“This entire episode has been demoralising for me and my
family. But, this is not the end of my international career.”
He had also been at odds with the ECB since quitting
limited-overs internationals in May and over suggestions of his
desire to play the whole Indian Premier League season with the
Delhi Daredevils instead of two home test matches against New
Zealand next May.
“During the past week we have held several discussions with
Kevin Pietersen and his advisors,” said ECB managing director
Hugh Morris in a statement.
“Following a constructive meeting, it was agreed that a
number of actions needed to be completed to re-engage Kevin
within the England dressing room.
“A fundamental item was to confirm publicly that no
derogatory texts had been sent by Kevin to the South African
team.
“This has not been forthcoming despite clear timelines being
set to allow the Selectors to pick the squad for the third test
match. We provided an additional six hours this morning to
provide every opportunity for agreement to be reached but
regrettably this has not been possible.
“The success of the England team has been built on a unity
of purpose and trust. Whilst we have made every attempt to find
a solution to enable Kevin to be selected we have sadly had to
conclude that, in the best interest of the team, he will miss
the Lord’s Test.”
FULLY FOCUSED
National selector Geoff Miller said: “We need a squad fully
focused on this test match to be able to play the sort of
cricket we know is necessary if we are to win this week and
level the series.”
Pietersen’s exclusion came despite a video he released on
YouTube on Saturday stating his commitment to playing for
England in all three forms of the game.
He also said that dressing room morale had been improved
following a long chat with a team mate.
That has failed to sway the selectors, however, who have
replaced Pietersen with Jonny Bairstow who made his debut
against West Indies in May.
“The video I released was my way to bring closure to the
issues I had at that time,” Pietersen said. “I stand by every
word I said in the video.”
England, who lost the first test by an innings and 12 runs,
must win to tie the series 1-1 and retain their place at the top
of the test rankings. The third test starts at Lord’s on
Thursday.
England squad: Andrew Strauss (Middlesex-Captain), James
Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell
(Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad
(Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steven Finn
(Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex),
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Taylor
(Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).
(Reporting by Josh Reich and Ed Osmond; Editing by Brian
Homewood and Ken Ferris)
