11:30am Wednesday 1st September 2010
By Bruce Talbot
Kevin Pietersen will face Sussex in Saturday’s crucial Clydesdale Bank40 game at Hove.
At the same time that it was confirmed he had been dropped from the England squad for the forthcoming one-day series against Pakistan, Surrey announced they had signed Pietersen on loan for the remainder of the season.
He will make his debut for his new county in the CB40 match against Worcestershire at The Oval tonight and will face the Sharks this weekend in a game both sides have to win to keep alive their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
A Surrey spokesman confirmed Pietersen will play at Hove on Saturday. He said: “Unless he gets injured that is the plan.”
Pietersen revealed that he had been dropped from an England squad which does include Sussex captain Mike Yardy and all-rounder Luke Wright on his Twitter account three hours before it was announced yesterday.
He has not scored a Test century since March 2009, in a run-fest against the West Indies that saw seven individual hundreds, and the last of his seven ODI centuries came in November 2008 against India.
He said: “I’m not one of those guys who likes to say I’m playing well in the nets. Talk is cheap but I’m trying so hard to break this barren run of hundreds. It does concern me. I’m always looking to try to improve. I’ve got to look at the positives and drag my confidence up, which has been hammered in the last 18 months. I’ll get there.”
Pietersen began looking for a new county when Hampshire decided not to offer him a new deal earlier in the season.
The 30-year-old wanted to be based nearer his London home and Middlesex seemed favourites to sign him. But now Surrey have stepped in with a loan deal until the end of the season and given him the opportunity to get some form in county cricket before the Ashes.
A permanent deal to The Oval is likely to follow.
Surrey, who are captained by former Sussex all-rounder Rory Hamilton-Brown, can also offer the 30-year-old two Championship games before the end of the season.
Pietersen added: “While I’m disappointed to have been omitted from the squad I fully understand the reasons why and will be doing everything I can to get back into the team.
“I have no issue with the selectors omitting me and my sole focus now is working on my game ahead of an exciting winter. I would also like to add my huge thanks to Surrey for giving me this opportunity and I hope I can repay them with some runs.”
England have changed their wicketkeeper for the one-day series but Sussex’s Matt Prior has not been recalled. Instead, the selectors have recalled Surrey’s Steven Davies.
National selector Geoff Miller said: “Steven Davies has had an excellent year for Surrey this season and has earned his chance. As ever the wicketkeeper’s role is a fiercely contested position in the England team and we’ve no doubt Craig Kieswetter will continue to press for the chance to reclaim his place in the England ODI squad.”
Sussex are waiting for confirmation but hope to have Prior available for Saturday’s game and their two remaining Championship fixtures against Northants and Worcestershire.
England squads – Twenty20: Collingwood (Durham, captain), Anderson (Lancashire), Bopara (Essex), Bresnan (Yorkshire), Broad (Nottinghamshire), Davies (wkt, Surrey), Kieswetter (Somerset), Morgan (Middlesex), Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Swann (Nottinghamshire), Wright (Sussex), Yardy (Sussex).
ODIs: Strauss (Middlesex, captain), Anderson (Lancashire), Bopara (Essex), Bresnan (Yorkshire), Broad (Nottinghamshire), Collingwood (Durham), Davies (wkt, Surrey), Morgan (Middlesex), Shahzad (Yorkshire), Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Swann (Nottinghamshire), Trott (Warwickshire), Wright (Sussex), Yardy (Sussex).
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