TNI Bureau: In a surprising decision today, England’s leading cricketer Kevin Pietersen has announced his retirement from ODIs and decided to continue playing Tests only.
Pietersen, who is considered as a master of ODIs and T20s, has now decided shift his entire focus to Test matches. He will still make himself available to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as the retirement is limited to international cricket only.
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“After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from International One Day Cricket. With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015,” said Pietersen.
England would be disappointed to see Pietersen quitting T20 cricket four months before the Twenty20 Worlc Cup in Sri Lanka. The England batsman plays for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
Pietersen has played 127 ODIs and scored 4,184 runs at an average of 41.84. He has also scored 9 hundreds and 23 fifties. His top score is 130.