Pietersen has ‘hell of lot more left in him’

Andrew Strauss is hoping Kevin Pietersen’s limited overs opt-out will steady his Test match ship as England bid for a series whitewash against West Indies.

The England captain hinted at tribulations behind the scenes at Lord’s and Trent Bridge during Pietersen’s reportedly fractious negotiations with his employers, and spoke of relief that matters are resolved following the mercurial batsman’s retirement from all limited-overs cricket.

Strauss said: “I wasn’t involved in the whole process, but I know that talks were going on in the background there. I think in some ways he’s relieved it’s all been and dusted and dealt with.

“From a team point of view, I think we’re all keen to move forward from the decision that he has made. Everyone has the right to make that decision about when they want to retire from a certain form of the game. Now the dust has settled, everyone is just determined to go on.”

Strauss, who also found himself answering inevitable questions about the decision to rest fast bowler James Anderson from this final Test, is optimistic of a harmonious future for England and Pietersen.

“I still think he’s got a hell of a lot more cricket left in him for England. I think he’s in good form at the moment, which is fantastic to see, and I don’t think his decision affects anything from the Test team’s point of view.”

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has an eye infection and Surrey’s uncapped Steve Davies has been called up as cover.

West Indies will unleash a unique talent on England if, as expected, mystery spinner Sunil Narine makes his debut. Expectations are great of the impact the 24-year-old may make at the highest level, thanks to his exploits so far in just a handful of first-class matches and in the high-profile Indian Premier League. He complements conventional off-spin with a disguised delivery which turns away from the right-hander.

“He has got every chance of playing,” West Indies captain Sammy said of Narine, absent from the first two Tests but shipped in following his IPL stint for Kolkata.

“It’s a difficult place for spinners to make their debut. But he has a lot up his sleeve, and we’re backing him to make an impact. He’s very exciting, and all of the Caribbean are very excited about having him in international cricket.”

Strauss, whose team struggled badly against Saeed Ajmal’s variations in the United Arab Emirates last winter, says some homework has been done on Narine.

But he added: “There’s only so much you can do. We’ve had a look at a bit of footage obviously. But ultimately international cricket’s about reacting to what you see in the middle and not having too many pre-conceived ideas anyway. He’s obviously a talented cricketer and we look forward to meeting that challenge head on.”