The former England right-handed batsman Kevin Pietersen [VIDEO] has stated that new one-day-internationals (ODI) captain Eoin Morgan would love to have him back in the team for the upcoming World Cup in February and that he would be ready for the challenge. Pietersen claims that, although 34, he is still batting better than ever, and still remains England's record run-scorer in one-day-international Cricket.
However, bearing in mind his unsettled rift with the coach Peter Moores and others from the board, many believe he stands better chance of being hit by an asteroid than being recalled to play for England again.
Pietersen's England career ended abruptly in February 2014 after their 5-0 whitewash by the hands of Australia in the Ashes in January 2014. Subsequently he released his controversial autobiography in October last year, with lots of finger pointing at the England dressing room, which is still bitterly remembered by many.
Pietersen is a South African with an English mother, which made him eligible to play for England. He was scouted by Nasser Hussain in 1999, while playing for a South African side. Hussain, who was the captain of the England team then, helped Pietersen to move to England and play a four years qualifying period at country level, before he started with the England team.
Since he was called up, the national team relied heavily on the batsman; while he was the captain of the England squad, following their losses in both the Test and one-day-internationals in India, Pietersen was the one who originated sacking of the then coach Peter Moores in January 2009.
He himself resigned as the captain the same day. The tension between the two cricketers has never been resolved since. And it would be naïve to believe that Pietersen would have a place in the squad, which is coached by Moores!
Pietersen is currently playing for Surrey as well as Twenty20 in the Indian Premier League, in the Caribbean Premier League and in the Australian Big Bash League, where he has been starring for the Melbourne Stars in the 2014-2015 Big Bash; the Stars are cruising in the Bash with Pietersen's spectacular 195 runs.
England will compete in a tri-series against hosts Australian and India, commencing on Friday as a warm-up to the World Cup, which will start in one month, on the 14th February.
