Kevin Pietersen hints at South Africa return in 2019

Photo: CSA

New Delhi: In a startling revelation, Kevin Pietersen has sparked off the possibility for representing South Africa in the 2019 World Cup.

Pietersen, who quit playing for England, earlier this year, will play a lot of cricket in South Africa for the next couple of years and hence there is a possibility that he might represent the country of his birth in the next World Cup. 

"I’ll play for South Africa! It’s a possibility, wherever it happens we’ll wait until 2019. I'm going to be playing a lot of cricket in South Africa over the next two years, so we'll see,” Pietersen told a South African magazine.

Pietersen has never represented South Africa, despite playing a lot of domestic cricket there during the initial stages of his career. He moved to England, represented the Three Lions in all formats of the game before calling it quits due to misunderstanding with the England Cricket Board (ECB) and then captain Alastair Cook.

But the 37-year-old, who plays T20 cricket in different parts of the world, does not want to think too far ahead.

" All I’m doing now is committing to the franchises .You are talking about in two years' time. Would I? Who knows? We'll have to wait and see where I am.”

Pietersen also said that he has plans of settling in South Africa in the next year and according to reports he will eligible to represent the Proteas in 2019.

The right-handed batsman is currently representing Surrey, in what will be his last season in the England’s domestic cricket. The Maverick England batsman played a match winning knock of 52 off 35 balls in the Natwest T20 Blast and appeared to be in fine touch. 

"I love batting: I will bat for as long as I love the art of batting. I do at the moment, but I'm an old man now, I've just hurt my calf, I didn't field.

Pietersen did not field after hurting his calf while batting.