Pietersen to return in Twenty20 match

London: England batsman Kevin Pietersen is poised for a return to international cricket in the second Twenty20 match against New Zealand after a long lay-off with injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.

The ECB named a 14-man squad for the two-match series at The Oval in London on June 25 and 27, with Middlesex’s Eoin Morgan captaining the side.

“Kevin Pietersen, who has been unavailable for England since March due to a knee injury, will join the squad for the second match provided he successfully completes an LV County Championship game for Surrey beginning on Friday, June 21,” it said in a statement.

Pietersen is regarded as the most talented batsman in the England set-up and has scored 7,499 runs, including 22 hundreds, in 94 Tests at an impressive average of 49.01. In T20 internationals, he has scored 1,176 runs at an average of 37.93.

The 32-year-old was briefly dropped from the side during last year’s series at home to South Africa after allegedly sending text messages critical of then England captain Andrew Strauss, who has since retired, to players from the opposition.

It was expected Pietersen would have just two matches — Surrey’s County Championship fixture away to Yorkshire and then England’s four-day Ashes warm-up at Essex starting a week on Sunday — to prove his fitness in time for the first Test.

But now England will have an additional chance to put Pietersen through his paces this coming Thursday at his Oval home ground.

Pietersen will join two uncapped players — Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance and Morgan’s fellow Irishman, Warwickshire pace bowler Boyd Rankin — in the reckoning to face the Kiwis.

England’s regular Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad was rested from the two-match series, as were many of the likely first choice squad for the Ashes, which starts with the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 10.

Morgan has previously led England’s Twenty20 team in Broad’s absence when the seamer was injured for two matches against India shortly before last Christmas.

National selector Geoff Miller said they had a blend of youth and experience and the squad had been picked with the heavy cricket schedule in mind.

The games against the Black Caps will provide an opportunity for players who had performed well in the domestic game, with the country’s performance programme and Lions teams to gain international experience.

“New Zealand are a talented limited overs side and, with a World T20 competition less than a year away, this series gives us a chance to look at a number of different options,” he added.