Kevin Pietersen set for return: ECB

England batsman to feature in second Twenty20 against New Zealand.

LONDON: England batsman Kevin Pietersen is poised for a return to international cricket in the second Twenty20 match against New Zealand after a long lay-off with injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said yesterday.

The ECB named a 14-man squad for the two-match series at The Oval in London on June 25 and 27, with Middlesex’s Eoin Morgan captaining the side.

“Pietersen, who has been unavailable for England since March due to a knee injury, will join the squad for the second match provided he successfully completes an LV County Championships game for Surrey beginning on Friday 21 June,” said the ECB.

Pietersen is regarded as the most talented batsman in the England set-up and has scored 7,499 runs, including 22 hundreds, in 94 Tests at an impressive average of 49.01.

In Twenty20 internationals, the right-hander has aggregated 1,176 runs at 37.93.

The 32-year-old was briefly dropped from the side during last year’s series at home to South Africa after allegedly sending text messages critical of then England captain Andrew Strauss, who has since retired, to players from the opposition.

England’s regular Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad was rested from the two-match series.

Morgan has previously led England’s Twenty20 team, in Broad’s absence when the seamer was injured for two matches against India.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2013.

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