Kevin Pietersen has, as expected, been left out of England's squad for the defence of their ICC World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka.
Batsman won't be part of side that tries to retain trophy in Sri Lanka
Kevin Pietersen has, as expected, been left out of England's squads for both the upcoming one-day series against South Africa and the defence of their ICC World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka.
The Surrey batsman's international career has been put in doubt after he was dropped for the third and final Test against the Proteas at Lord's for sending "provocative" text messages to members of the opposition.
The 32-year-old - the man of the tournament when England triumphed in the Caribbean two years ago - had reversed his decision to retire from all forms of limited-overs international cricket in the hope of being included in a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 tournament.
However, national selector Geoff Miller has said Pietersen's future involvement in the national set-up is "still being determined".
"Kevin Pietersen's future involvement is still being determined and he was therefore not considered for selection in either squad," he said in announcing the squads.
Bopara back
While Pietersen misses out there is a place in both parties for Ravi Bopara; the Essex batsman declared himself unavailable for the second Test against South Africa for personal reasons, though he has recently returned to action for his county.
Miller announced that the right-hander would continue his comeback by guesting for Gloucestershire against the tourists this week, adding: "We are grateful to both Essex and Gloucestershire for agreeing to allow Ravi Bopara to play for Gloucestershire against South Africa on Wednesday.
"Ravi has had some time away from the game and we feel that he will benefit from some extra cricket ahead of the start of the NatWest Series and with no games for Essex before we begin our preparations for the first match this is an ideal opportunity for him.
Stuart Broad will skipper England in the three twenty20 matches against South Africa and the ICC tournament that follows.
With that in mind, the selectors have decided to rest the Nottinghamshire seamer for the five one-dayers, the first of which takes place on August 24 at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff.
All players in the T20 squad have previously been capped for England, with Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright and Nottinghamshire batsman Michael Lumb both returning to the fold for the first time since June 2011.
There are places for slow bowlers Danny Briggs and Samit Patel as spin will be a key factor on the subcontinent.
"Stuart Broad has an important period coming up leading our T20 side and with a three-match series followed closely by the ICC World T20 we feel a two week break from cricket is in the best interests of both Stuart and the team," Miller said.
"The T20 squad mirrors the squad we have selected for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the three-match NatWest series provides this group of players with valuable preparation in what will be a highly competitive series ahead of the tournament starting in September."
England squad for one-day series against South Africa:Alastair Cook (Essex - captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
England squad for three matches against South Africa and ICC World Twenty20:Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire - captain), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Nottinghamshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)
