Pietersen to remain just Test wonder following rejection of his T20 playing plea

London, Jun1: England batsman Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement from the fifty-over format cricket format on Thursday, however, he expressed his desire to continue playing in the Test format and the Twenty20 format.

But according to the rules laid by England’s cricketing authorities, a player who makes himself unavailable for any of the shorter version of the game won’t be allowed to play in any of them, and therefore, Pietersen was told he was no longer wanted for Twenty20 matches.

Pietersen won’t play for England in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, which is just four months away.

Hugh Morris, managing director of the England team, said he was ‘disappointed’ with the timing of Pietersen''s decision.

The dramatic announcement came just a week after Pietersen was fined for criticizing Sky TV broadcaster Nick Knight on Twitter, a move that further destabilized the delicate peace between Pietersen and the England and Wales Cricket Board since he lost the England captaincy three-and-a-half years ago.

Pietersen described the international schedule as being very demanding, and that was why he was retiring from one-day cricket.

But he did express his wish to continue playing Twenty20 cricket after making himself available for Test cricket.

“With the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the 2015 World Cup,” The Daily Mail quoted Pietersen, as saying.

“I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game and still wish to be considered for Test cricket,” he added.

“Had the criteria not been in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming World Twenty20,” he said.