Kevin Pietersen says the frustration he has exhibited during England's tour of West Indies has been building up since the humiliating Test and ODI defeats against India and was compounded by the team's continuing poor show in the Caribbean.
Kevin Pietersen says the frustration he has exhibited during England's tour of West Indies has been building up since the humiliating Test and ODI defeats against India and was compounded by the team's continuing poor show in the Caribbean.
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"The first half of the winter was a shambles under my leadership. We didn't come close to winning a game in India and we didn't come close to winning a game here before we won on Sunday - except for the mathematical error on the West Indies' part in Guyana," Pietersen told BBC.
England lost the Tests 0-1 to West Indies and are level 2-2 in the one-day series, the final match of which is due to be played on Friday.
Pietersen had requested to be allowed to go home for two days last week claiming he was at the end of his tether in the "soul destroying" tour. Pietersen said the comments were a result of months of frustration.
"The comments were born from the frustration of that. We all want to go home, but it does not stop the commitment we all put in on a daily basis," he said.
Pietersen reiterated that being separated from his wife, singer Jessica Taylor, was painful for him but insisted that he remained committed to playing for England. "The second part of the frustration was I hadn't seen my wife since January 21. It's the longest period of time I've been away from her," he said.
"I've never said I want to miss a tour and there's no way I will ever miss a tour. I love touring. But there's no way I'll be without my wife for 11 weeks again," Pietersen added.
"I am absolutely 100 per cent passionate about playing for England. I absolutely never take it for granted about wearing the three lions on my chest," he asserted.
Pietersen said he is not disappointed at not being granted the request to go home to be with his wife. "We decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea for the team going forward. There were no arguments, no nonsense, no disappointment on my behalf," Pietersen said. "I have been totally supportive of everything that has happened on this tour."
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