England's Kevin Pietersen Retires From ODIs, T20s
posted on Jun 1, 2012 @ 10:41AM
Kevin Pietersen Retirement: England's Kevin Pietersen has retired from ODIs and T20s with immediate effect due to the 'hectic international schedule'. The news comes as surprise as there are just a couple of months left before the T20 World Cup in which England are defending champions.
"After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket. With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015. I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, but still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket." said Pietersen.
Pietersen wanted to retire only from ODIs, but that is not allowed under ECB's contract. A player who retires from ODIs is automatically disqualified from consideration for T20s. Pietersen said that he wanted to play the T20 World Cup, but had no choice. "For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20."