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| Kevin Pietersen set for Surrey as Sunrisers release him from key IPL duties | Kevin Pietersen set for Surrey as Sunrisers release him from key IPL duties |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Kevin Pietersen is set to sign a county deal with Surrey in a bid to force himself back into the England set-up through sheer weight of runs, after confirming that he has been released from the bulk of his Indian Premier League commitments with Sunrisers Hyderabad. | Kevin Pietersen is set to sign a county deal with Surrey in a bid to force himself back into the England set-up through sheer weight of runs, after confirming that he has been released from the bulk of his Indian Premier League commitments with Sunrisers Hyderabad. |
| The 34-year-old has been in exile from international cricket for 13 months after having his central contract paid up by the England and Wales Cricket Board in the wake of the Ashes whitewash in Australia. | |
| But emboldened by a suggestion, of sorts, from the incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves that any talk of an international return was moot unless he skipped the IPL and scored heavily in first-class cricket, Pietersen has moved to make it happen. | But emboldened by a suggestion, of sorts, from the incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves that any talk of an international return was moot unless he skipped the IPL and scored heavily in first-class cricket, Pietersen has moved to make it happen. |
| The right-hander is known to have spoken to Graves on the telephone and even arranged a meeting with the Yorkshireman next month to clarify the situation. But even before that scheduled face to face, Pietersen has been allowed to skip the group stages of the IPL, with a return to The Oval his likely destination. | |
| The only caveat for Pietersen is that, should the Sunrisers reach the IPL knockout stages in late May, he can be recalled by the franchise. This would clash with the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s, which starts on 21 May. | The only caveat for Pietersen is that, should the Sunrisers reach the IPL knockout stages in late May, he can be recalled by the franchise. This would clash with the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s, which starts on 21 May. |
| Announcing the news just moments after the England captain Alastair Cook was dismissed for five while playing for MCC in Abu Dhabi, a statement from his management company read: “Sunrisers Hyderabad have agreed to release Kevin Pietersen for the entire first phase of the IPL 2015. | Announcing the news just moments after the England captain Alastair Cook was dismissed for five while playing for MCC in Abu Dhabi, a statement from his management company read: “Sunrisers Hyderabad have agreed to release Kevin Pietersen for the entire first phase of the IPL 2015. |
| “The agreement allows Pietersen to miss the Sunrisers’ entire league fixtures, but will see him recalled should the team reach the knockout stages of the competition [which commence on 19 May and finish with the final on 24 May]. | “The agreement allows Pietersen to miss the Sunrisers’ entire league fixtures, but will see him recalled should the team reach the knockout stages of the competition [which commence on 19 May and finish with the final on 24 May]. |
| “The four-times Ashes winner, who is also England’s highest run scorer in all formats, will instead join a domestic county with the aim of earning a place in the England squad for the upcoming Ashes series. | |
| Pietersen, who has 104 Test caps, said: “I’m hugely grateful all the support and understanding I’ve received from everyone at the Sunrisers and the IPL. My focus is now very much on the upcoming season in England and I’m absolutely determined to score as many runs as possible. | Pietersen, who has 104 Test caps, said: “I’m hugely grateful all the support and understanding I’ve received from everyone at the Sunrisers and the IPL. My focus is now very much on the upcoming season in England and I’m absolutely determined to score as many runs as possible. |
| “I’ve never made any secret of my overwhelming desire to once again represent England and I’m going to do everything in my power to earn a recall to the international set-up. | “I’ve never made any secret of my overwhelming desire to once again represent England and I’m going to do everything in my power to earn a recall to the international set-up. |
| “To once again put on that England shirt would be a privilege and an honour, but now I have to focus on performing domestically and give myself the best possible chance of meriting selection.” | “To once again put on that England shirt would be a privilege and an honour, but now I have to focus on performing domestically and give myself the best possible chance of meriting selection.” |