Kevin Pietersen’s international career has brought to an end after he was left out of the squad for the tour of the West Indies and World Twenty20 which follows the Caribbean tour.

In a press note release by ECB it is claimed that Pietersen met with England’s senior management earlier this week and was told of their unanimous decision not to recall him for the trip to the Caribbean next month and the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh next month.

The press release further claims meetings took place on Tuesday between one-day international coach Ashley Giles, Test captain Alastair Cook and ECB managing director Paul Downton, who admitted the decision to drop Pietersen had been a tough one to make.

Paul Downton explained: “Clearly this was a tough decision because Kevin has been such an outstanding player for England as the fact that he is the country’s leading run scorer in international cricket demonstrates.”

“However everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the long term planning after the Australia tour. Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future and start to rebuild not only the team but also team ethic and philosophy.”

“England cricket owes a debt of gratitude to Kevin who has proved to be one of the most talented and exciting players to ever represent the country and his 13,797 runs are a testimony to his immense skill.”

Downton continued: “This decision brings some clarity now for the future of the England teams and we all wish Kevin the very best in the rest of his career.”

The press release also included a response from Pietersen, suggesting an agreement has been made on the remainder of his central contract, which was slated to run until September.

“Playing cricket for my country has been an honour,” Pietersen said. “Every time I pulled on the England shirt was a moment of huge pride for me and that is something that will live with me forever.”

“Although I am obviously very sad the incredible journey has come to an end, I’m also hugely proud of what we, as a team, have achieved over the past nine years.

The 33-year-old further added: “I feel extremely fortunate to have played at a time of great success for England cricket alongside some of the best cricketers the country has ever produced.

“I want to thank everyone for their fantastic support and I wish the team the very best of success going forward. I believe I have a great deal still to give as a cricketer. I will continue to play but deeply regret that it won’t be for England.”

Pietersen played 104 Test matches, 136 ODI and 37 Twenty20 Internationals for England in a career which started in November 2004 and finished with the fifth Ashes Test match in Sydney in early January.

His departure follows the exit of Andy Flower as team director, with the relationship between the two was widely believed to be strained at best during the Ashes debacle, as per reports in English media.

The official announcement, though, was not much of a surprise as Piers Morgan, the widely known CNN broadcaster and a friend of Pietersen, had been tweeting his disgust at the decision for around half an hour. Even high-profile names like Gary Lineker, former England striker, and Chris Gayle expressed their disgust.

   

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