Pietersen rules out return to England
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has said he never wants to play for the national side again, stating he could do without the “nonsense”. The South African born cricketer, who currently plays for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, established himself as one of England’s finest batsman in the modern era but endured a difficult relationship with the ECB.
Pietersen led the England from August 2008 to January 2009, but resigned after just three Tests and nine ODIs following a dispute with then-England coach Peter Moores.
He announced his retirement from all forms of international limited-overs cricket in May 2012 after another fall-out with the ECB and although he later retracted his retirement, his relationship with the board never recovered.
Recent speculation has since linked Pietersen with a return to England under current captain Joe Root, but the 36-year-old has insisted he has no intentions of playing for the national side again.
“I spend a lot more time now with my family than I ever did when playing for England. I don’t think I want to do it,” he told ITV.
He added that he’s not expecting a call from Root.
“I don’t want to put that pressure on him as a young captain, to always have the nonsense of my rigmarole hanging on, let him do what he wants to do, let him enjoy it, I love this young England cricket team and I want to see them doing well. I don’t want that nonsense, I’ve got no interest.”
Although Pietersen may have little interest in joining England, he’s set to make his county cricket return following a two-year absence after rejoining Surrey for the T20.
James Taylor has thanked the millions of well wishers on social media who rallied round him when a rare heart condition forced him to give up playing professional cricket last year.
Wednesday marked a year from the day the former England batsman was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) after he fell ill during a pre-season match for Nottinghamshire. Taylor’s heart was beating at 265 beats per minute for five hours – the equivalent of running six marathons. Doctors later told him it was a stress on the heart that would have killed most other people.
That fact, and the overwhelming response from the public that he likened to tributes for someone who had died, helped Taylor come to terms with the devastating news that turned his life upside down at the age of just 26.
“The last year has been an absolute rollercoaster and pretty scary to be honest,” he said. “But I’ve also enjoyed it and there’s been some amazing people that have helped me – my family, my friends, my fiancée.
“But people forget about social media as well. They always say actions speak louder than words but at this time these words on social media have been amazing.
“It’s been so positive and I’ve read every single word and that makes a difference – especially when you’re lying in a hospital bed. But even after that it’s just meant the world to me.
“It is truly amazing and it really kept me going in hospital. I had over 20 million Tweets about me in the first two hours of it [the news] coming out and if you ever wondered what it’s like to die, I effectively died such was the response I had. It was absolutely amazing.” Taylor played the last of his seven Tests against South Africa at Centurion in January 2016 – just three months before his career was prematurely ended. The timing was particularly cruel given he had just begun to establish himself with England five years after he made his international debut in an ODI against Ireland in Dublin.
The disappointment of having the dream of playing for his country ripped away from him overnight was crushing. Taylor, though, feels lucky just to be alive.
“Ever since the doctor told me the majority of these cases are found in post-mortem that made a big difference to me in terms of my outlook,” he said. “It’s a massive blow not being able to play professional cricket again and play for England, which is what I always dreamt of doing and loved doing for years.
“But at least I’m still here to tell the tale and can make a difference to other people’s lives. Having life itself is a good option.”
Taylor had an internal defibrillator fitted last summer which brings his heartbeat back to a normal level if he has another attack. THE INDEPENDENT