Kevin Pietersen ECB Controversy Led to Retirement: Kevin Pietersen is one of the most controversial players in the history of England cricket. He had to retire in his prime career due to deteriorating relations with the England Cricket Board (ECB). The year 2012 played a big role in ending his career as he was even accused of helping the opposition team. So let’s know why Kevin Pietersen had to retire in his prime career?
Accused of helping the opposition team
Actually, in 2012, the South African team was touring England and a three-Test series was played between them. Pietersen was accused of telling the South African team through text messages how Andrew Strauss could be dismissed. Pietersen accepted these allegations during an interview and he also apologized to the then England captain Andrew Strauss.
Pieterson’s message had a huge impact on Strauss’ form as Strauss was able to score only 107 runs in 6 innings at an average of 17.83 in the series against South Africa. This drop in his form was surprising because just a month before this he had scored 326 runs including 2 centuries in 5 innings of 3 matches.
Pietersen was dropped
At that time, Pietersen played a brilliant innings of 149 runs in the first innings of the second Test match against South Africa. Pietersen was in such a great form that he even thrashed Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Despite this, he was dropped from the next match and his relations with the ECB started deteriorating.
Pietersen played a few more series after that and finally confirmed his retirement after playing his last Test match in 2014. He played 104 Test matches for England, in which he scored 8,181 runs including 23 centuries. On the other hand, he scored 4,440 runs in 136 ODIs. Pietersen never lacked talent because after success in Tests, he adapted himself well to T20 cricket as well. He has 1,176 runs in 37 T20 matches at an average of around 38.
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