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28 March 2024

Cook says Pietersen row must be 'resolved'

Published
By AFP

England captain Alastair Cook has said the international future of Kevin Pietersen needs to be "resolved" in the next few weeks.

Pietersen has been in England exile since being dropped following the second Test against his native South Africa in Leeds last month.

Officials, already frustrated by rows over his desire to play less one-day cricket, were furious when it was revealed he'd sent "provocative" texts to South African players - some allegedly critical of then captain Andrew Strauss.

That meant the 32-year-old missed the final Test against the Proteas at Lord's and the subsequent one-day series, which ended in a 2-2 draw with one no-result after the tourists' seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Pietersen will also miss England's defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka later this month, despite being man of the tournament when they won the 2010 edition in the Caribbean.

Strauss announced his retirement last week, although he insisted his decision to quit wasn't prompted by the latest row involving Pietersen, his predecessor as England skipper.

Cook, already leading the one-day side, was named as the new Test captain.

He now has a role in deciding Pietersen's immediate international future ahead of the tour of India, starting in November.

"I haven't really been thinking about it too much, with the one-day series on," Cook said of the Pietersen stand-off.

"Over the next couple of weeks, it's certainly an issue which we as the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) will have to get resolved.

"It is a situation which does need to get resolved. There is stuff which needs to be talked about behind closed doors. That will happen."