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Kevin Pietersen buries hatchet with Andrew Strauss

Former England players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss leave behind the acrimonious past between them

By Unnikrishnan
Forgetting bitter past: Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Stauss

London, March 1: Kevin Pietersen said he now gets on "really well" with Andrew Strauss as he wished the wife of his fellow former England captain a full recovery from cancer.

Strauss had a chequered relationship with Pietersen after taking over the England captaincy from him and as an administrator effectively ended Pietersen's international career in 2015.

But Pietersen insisted all the "nonsense" between the two was a thing of the past after making a man-of-the-match 48 for the Quetta Gladiators as they beat Islamabad United in a Pakistan Super League match in Sharjah on Wednesday (February 28).

"I actually get on really well with Straussy and I've had some real good conversations with Straussy because he's going through some real personal hardships at the moment," Pietersen said.

"And I'm being serious when I say that cricket is insignificant when Andrew Strauss is feeling what he's feeling, with his wife and cancer, so you put all the nonsense to one side."

It was announced in December that Strauss's wife, Ruth, had been diagnosed with cancer.

"I've actually spoken to him quite a few times in the last couple of months," said Pietersen.

"Cricket, and all the stuff that happened is gone, it's insignificant because families are a lot more important," said the 37 year-old Pietersen.

"I'm good with Straussy. I just wish Ruth all the best and hopefully Ruth can pull through. She's a fighter."

Strauss, who succeeded Pietersen as England captain, saw his relationship with the talented run-getter nosedive in 2012.

South Africa-born Pietersen sent text messages reported to be critical of Strauss, then the England skipper and who was also born in South Africa, to Proteas players in the middle of a Test series.

Pietersen was then dropped from the Test side, with Strauss retiring from all cricket soon.

In his new role as the England and Wales Cricket Board's director of England cricket, a position he still holds, Strauss effectively ended Pietersen's international career three years later when he told him he was not part of his selection plans due to a complete breakdown of trust.

Story first published: Thursday, March 1, 2018, 12:40 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 1, 2018