Kevin Pietersen saga: ECB chairman Colin Graves denies making any promises to exiled batsman

ECB chairman Colin Graves has responded to Kevin Pietersen’s claims of being misled, saying he never made any promises the exiled batsman would be recalled by England.

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 16, 2013 file photo, England's Kevin Pietersen walks back to the pavilion on the fourth day of their Ashes cricket Test match against Australia, in Perth, Australia. Deep distrust of Kevin Pietersen prevented a recall of the in-form batsman for England's summer campaigns against New Zealand and Australia though, strangely, cricket director Andrew Strauss added on Tuesday May 12, 2015, he was not banned from selection. (AP Photo/Theron Kirkman, file)

ECB chairman Colin Graves has responded to Kevin Pietersen’s claims of being misled, saying he never made any promises the exiled batsman would be recalled.

Graves posted a statement on the ECB site because he felt “his integrity has been called into question” a couple of days after it was confirmed Pietersen was not in England’s plans.

Andrew Strauss, England’s newly appointed director of English cricket, was the target of derogatory texts sent by Pietersen to South Africans players back when the pair were teammates.

And it was Strauss who sounded the death knell for Pietersen’s international career earlier this week when he said a lack of “trust” between the batsman and the ECB was behind the move.

KP wrote an article in English paper The Daily Telegraph detailing his feelings of betrayal, claiming Graves had promised him a fresh chance if he played county cricket and scored runs.

“When we talked on the phone, Kevin asked if I thought his England career had ended in the right manner following the last Ashes series in Australia. I agreed that nobody particularly emerged with much credit from the whole episode, particularly given his achievements for England,” Graves wrote.

“Kevin felt he had a lot to offer and was interested in a dialogue with the ECB, sorting things out and working together. He would love to play for England again but he wanted to contribute, whether as a player or not.

“I didn’t make any promises. There were no guarantees that if he chose to exit his IPL contract, play county cricket and score runs he would be selected for England. And I said he should make any decision on his future on that basis.

“I can see something has been misunderstood around the conversation and in the following debate — and perhaps how that happened.

“What I did stress was that when I took over as chairman I would back those people whose job it was to take decisions on team selection. I stand by that.

“Ahead of a big, busy summer of cricket, a clear decision needed to be taken. Given the history and the book, the simple fact is that bridges have still not been rebuilt and trust needs to be restored.”

At the time Strauss was confirming his continued omission, Pietersen was scoring 355 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire for his highest first class score as he sought to end his exile since the 2013 Ashes.

Pietersen wrote an autobiography that was deeply critical of several England players and coaches and said there was a bullying culture within the national set-up.

But Strauss’ decision has polarised opinion among supporters, the media — perhaps even within the side itself, after Ian Bell called Pietersen the best teammate he’s played alongside.

England’s diabolic World Cup performance was followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw in the recent Test series in the West Indies, and the country’s fans have grown disenchanted at the prospect of winning back the Ashes without the help of their highest ever run-scorer.

Graves seemed to leave the door slightly ajar with the final two paragraphs of his statement.

“Kevin was told on Monday and I completely support the decision that was taken,” Graves wrote. “He may not have liked what he heard but it allowed him to look at his opportunities.

“Despite everything, he can work with us to rebuild the relationship and make a further contribution to English cricket. It was important he knew where he stood.”

Originally published as Kevin Pietersen saga: ECB chairman Colin Graves denies making any promises to exiled batsman