Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has extended his support to Kevin Pietersen, saying that newly appointed director of cricket Andrew Strauss made England's cricket a 'laughing stock' by prolonging the sacked batsman's international exile.
Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has extended his support to Kevin Pietersen, saying that newly appointed director of cricket Andrew Strauss made England's cricket a 'laughing stock' by prolonging the sacked batsman's international exile.
Earlier on Monday, Pietersen hopes of earning an England recall suffered a heavy blow, despite hitting an unbeaten triple ton for Surrey in county cricket, when Strauss told the maverick batsman that he would never play for his adopted country again.
Strauss cited a 'massive trust issue' between him and the sacked batsman as the reason behind the decision.
In a bid to extend his support to the batsman, Smith stated on Twitter, "I see the head boy is making English cricket the laughing stock again! #StraussLogic", Sport24reported.
Reacting to the England and Wales Cricket Board's decision, Pietersen said that he just finds it incredibly deceitful what had happened to him, adding that he was angry and hurt, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Pietersen, a veteran of 104 Test and 136 one-day caps for England, has been out of the national squad since his central contract was cancelled by the ECB following the team's Ashes washout by Australia in 2014.
The maverick batsman turned down a lucrative Indian Premier League contract with the Sunrisers Hyderabad team to concentrate on his county campaign with Surrey, in a bid to earn an England comeback.
Earlier, incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves had stated that Pietersen could earn a recall to the national side again if he made enough runs in county cricket.
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