Kevin Pietersen absent from England central contracts list

By DAVID CLOUGH
Published on 08/09/2012 01:01

KEVIN Pietersen’s name was not among the list of players the England and Wales Cricket Board last night confirmed had been given a central contract for the 2012-13 season.

The batsman is currently out of the picture following a dispute over the alleged content of text messages he sent to the members of the South Africa squad during the recent Test series, with his long-term future still no clearer despite the retirement of captain Andrew Strauss.

The ECB, who have issued ten full-time and four incremental contracts, did add a caveat by saying “discussions are ongoing and remain private” with the 32-year-old but, as things stand, he will not be a contracted player in an Ashes year.

If the ECB press ahead, therefore, with plans to name a squad next Thursday to undertake the four-Test tour of India, under Alastair Cook, time is short for Pietersen’s differences with his employers to be settled.

There were no surprises among the nine players awarded contracts alongside Cook.

Eoin Morgan is the only one who is not currently a Test regular, which is due to his loss of form in the United Arab Emirates last winter.

England are in Twenty20 action at Chester-le-Street today, taking on South Africa in the first of three NatWest matches in the space of five days.