Ashes 2015: Kevin Pietersen says England exile is 'silly'
Tuesday 21 July 2015 15:18, UK
Kevin Pietersen has blasted England's top order batsmen and says his absence from the team is silly and ridiculous.
England impressed in the first Investec Ashes Test in Cardiff, but the knives have been out after their miserable capitulation at Lord's at the weekend with critics demanding new blood for the next showdown at Edgbaston.
Pietersen, who scored an unbeaten 355 for Surrey against Leicestershire in May and recently played for the St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, was axed after last year's whitewash in Australia and on the eve of England's selection meeting on Tuesday, he has ripped into his former employers.
Having watched the opening two Tests in the United States, the 35-year-old batsman tweeted from a Miami beach on Monday: "Deep in thought right now...ridiculous that I'm lying on a beach when I should be in UK prepping for the 3rd Test! So silly really! Sad!
"Batting as well as ever & the team have huge issues with top order! What a waste, just lying on a beach! I wish I could help!
"So, so, so, so silly!"
It had been suggested that the installation of a new regime at the top of English cricket might lead to a recall for Pietersen but director of cricket Andrew Strauss ruled it out in May, stating there were “massive trust issues” between the batsman and the ECB.
With Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell all struggling at the crease in recent weeks, England may opt to re-jig their batting line-up in Tuesday's selection meeting, although Pietersen is not likely to be on the agenda.
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