England's national selector James Whitaker has declined to elaborate on the end of Kevin Pietersen's international career, citing legal reasons
Kevin Pietersen and (inset) James Whitaker
London: England's national selector James Whitaker has declined to elaborate on the end of Kevin Pietersen's international career, citing legal reasons.
Kevin Pietersen and (inset) James Whitaker
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Whitaker, appearing as the public face of the selection panel for the first time since replacing Geoff Miller, was the first England and Wales Cricket Board employee to speak since a carefully-worded statement on Tuesday brought the curtain down on Pietersen's international career.
But those who have been calling for a greater transparency around the decision to axe the country's top international run scorer, or at least an elaboration on the "need to rebuild" argument contained in the ECB press release, were left disappointed.
Asked about Pietersen's exile, Whitaker told Sky Sports News: "That is a legal position and at the moment I'm not at liberty to say. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to reiterate what reasons there have been," he added.
Swann baffled
Meanwhile, Former England spinner Graeme Swann said he was "baffled" by England's decision to dump Pietersen. "I'll be honest about Pietersen - myself and several other England players were not exactly members of his fan club during the Textgate scandal of 2012.
But I changed my opinion once he was reintegrated back. I saw or heard no issues with him in Australia this winter, his approach was exceptional. That's why I was baffled."