Sports

Pietersen finds humour in England snub

Former England international takes to Twitter to joke about applying for coaching job

Afp May 13, 2015

After being given hope of getting an England recall by ECB chairman Colin Graves, Pietersen’s hopes received a major setback as Strauss announced they had no plans for him. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen joked on Twitter that he had applied for the England coaching job on Wednesday, a day after being sidelined by new director of cricket Andrew Strauss.

“Morning all, after a pretty bad day yesterday I’ve given it a lot of thought overnight,” Pietersen wrote to his 2.56 million followers. “I’m applying for the coaching job! #StraussLogic”

https://twitter.com/KP24/status/598362578063077376

Strauss revealed on Tuesday that Pietersen, 34, will not be selected for England in the immediate future, citing a “massive trust issue” between him and the South Africa-born batsman.

England are currently without a coach following the dismissal of Peter Moores last weekend.

Pietersen was axed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last year following a 5-0 Ashes whitewash defeat in Australia.

But after new ECB chairman Colin Graves opened the door to a recall by suggesting that he could force his way back into the team by playing county cricket, Pietersen signed for his former team Surrey.

He completed an innings of 355 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire on Monday — his maiden first-class triple century — only to be told later that day by Strauss that he was not part of England’s plans.

“I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close, especially given everything that has been said and asked of me,” said Pietersen. “They have used the word ‘trust’ to justify not selecting me, well, trust is a two-way thing.”

England a laughing stock: Smith

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith was also among several pundits who slammed Andrew Strauss’s decision to maintain Kevin Pietersen’s international exile, saying it had made English cricket a “laughing stock”.

“I see the head boy is making English cricket the laughing stock again! #StraussLogic”, tweeted Smith.

Meanwhile several former England captains criticised the way in which Pietersen had been given the incentive of a recall only to have it taken away.

“I don’t often feel sorry for Kevin Pietersen — but having been told by the chairman-elect to go and score runs in the County Championship if he wants to get back in the England side, Kevin’s been sent on a wild goose chase,” said former England cricketer Bob Willis.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.