Kevin Pietersen eyeing international comeback with Proteas

Kevin Pietersen has seemingly been given a new lease of life by the South African cricket board as he eyes a comeback to international cricket. Following a series of controversies and infamous comments, Pietersen has been left out in the cold by director of English cricket and former teammate Andrew Strauss.

Speaking just before his second coming in the IPL, Pietersen stated that the thought had indeed crossed his mind and that he was looking to make a second comeback to international cricket in the future.

“Yes, it is a thought in my head,” he said on Saturday (April 9). “If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Obviously, playing international is something I have done for a very long time. Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes, I do very much, so you never know.”

Although being born in the country and having stayed there until the age of 18, Pietersen will have to wait almost a year from now to be eligible for selection for the country of his birth. While the Proteas would love to have a destructive batsman in the form of Kevin Pietersen, age is not on his side. He will be 37 by the time he is eligible for South African selection.

“The eligibility for South Africa is still (over) a year away. So we will have to wait and see, but it (an English call-up) is definitely still an option,” he said. “I am in a great frame of mind now. I enjoy myself and don’t take life too seriously.

Despite the age factor, Pietersen has reiterated that he is in fact training extremely hard and is still working on his game.

“I still train hard and love batting, I love practicing my batting, I love the art of batting. It may not guarantee me getting runs, but it gives me a good chance to get runs. I am very lucky that I have played international cricket for 10 years and over 100 Test matches.”