21 April,2015 07:46 AM IST | | PA Sport
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has urged England to move on from Kevin Pietersen, believing the controversial batsman no longer merits a place in the side and brings too much baggage as well
Kevin Pietersen and (inset) Steve Waugh
Melbourne: Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has urged England to move on from Kevin Pietersen, believing the controversial batsman no longer merits a place in the side and brings too much baggage as well.
Steve Waugh
South African-born Pietersen has not played for his adopted nation in over a year after being sacked following the fallout of the woeful Ashes whitewash defeat.
The 34-year-old has repeatedly expressed a desire to return to the international set-up, though, and is turning out for Surrey this season in a bid to prove his commitment to England, with his first County Championship innings since June 2013 ending after making just 19 off 28 balls against Glamorgan on Sunday.
While Pietersen's Test record of 8,181 runs at 47.28 with 23 centuries makes him one of England's greatest ever batsmen, Waugh does not think he deserves a place in the current XI.
Kevin Pietersen
"England have got to make a clean break and look forward to the future," Waugh was quoted as saying the Daily Mirror. "Sometimes you have to have short-term pain to get the long-term gain.
"I don't think he's (Pietersen) a great player right now. Setting aside all the other things, I don't think his form warranted a spot in the England side," said Waugh.
Waugh added: "First, he has to be one of the best six batsmen in the country, which he's not. Then is he right for the current set-up? Does he fit in how the team is moving forward? Can he work with the captain and other players? Obviously there have been some issues. That's part of the reason why he's not there now."
