KP joins Surrey, wants to score plenty of runs

KEVIN PIETERSEN took another step toward a possible return to the England team by signing for Surrey yesterday, giving the country’s most controversial player two months in English county cricket to impress selectors before the Ashes series.

Pietersen is seeking a way back into the England set-up after being ditched following last year’s Ashes whitewash in Australia so the team could build a new “ethos and philosophy” without its most divisive influence.

He was given encouragement by the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Colin Graves, who said last month that Pietersen could be recalled if he plays county cricket and scores lots of runs. Pietersen and Graves have also spoken over the telephone.

Pietersen has reacted by securing a release from his contract with Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad and signing a season-long deal with Surrey, for whom he played Twenty20 cricket last year.

“A Kevin Pietersen with ambitions to play for England and a real determination to score big runs for Surrey will be a huge asset to us,” said Alec Stewart, the former England batsman who is Surrey’s director of cricket.

Pietersen will be available for the opening game of the county championship on April 19.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back at Surrey,” Pietersen said. “It’s a club very close to my heart.

“There is a fantastic group of lads here, and hopefully we can deliver what the great Surrey fans want to see – lots of runs and comprehensive victories.”

The five-Test Ashes series begins on July 8 in Cardiff.

The South Africa- born Pietersen is a former England captain and his adopted country’s all-time top run-scorer in all formats. He has played 104 Tests, 136 one-day games, and 37 T20 internationals. – Sapa-AP