Kevin Pietersen

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has refused to rule out a spectacular return to Test cricket with his native South Africa.

Born in Pietermaritzburg, Pietersen left South Africa 16 years ago and scored 8,181 runs at an average of 47.28 in 104 Tests for England after making his debut during the 2005 Ashes.

He was sacked by England in 2014 following the Ashes whitewash in Australia, becoming a much-travelled Twenty20 specialist as a result.

Pietersen would be eligible to play for South Africa in 2018 despite recent reservations from Faf du Plessis.

In February the Proteas' T20 skipper pointed out Pietersen was 'English' when asked about the possibility of him representing the country of his birth.

But in quotes on Cricket Australia's website, Pietersen said: "Yes, it is a thought in my head.

"If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't. Obviously, playing international is something I have done for a very long time.

"Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes I do, very much, so you never know.

"The eligibility for South Africa is still (over) a year away. So we will have to wait and see but (an England call-up) is definitely still an option."

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has signed for South African side Sunfoil Dolphins.

The 35-year-old, who has not represented England since the 2013/14 Ashes tour, will play for the Dolphins in the RAM Slam T20 competition.

The Dolphins announced the signing at a press conference.

Quoted on the team's Twitter feed, South Africa-born Pietersen said: "It's very exciting to get back to Durban."

Colin Graves has insisted he "didn't make any promises" to Kevin Pietersen about a possible return to Test cricket.

The England and Wales Cricket Board chairman released a statement via the governing body's website in which he strongly defends his integrity - his first public response to Pietersen's claims that he has received "incredibly deceitful" treatment.

Pietersen learned on Monday from new ECB director Andrew Strauss, after making a triple-century for Surrey, that his attempt to force his way back into England contention via runs in the LV= County Championship had come to nought.

The row over Kevin Pietersen's exclusion from the England cricket team went on today.

Batsman Ian Bell said there "maybe a position in time" for Pietersen, but in a later interview with ITV News he refused to say whether he had a problem with the 34-year-old.

While ex-England captain Nasser Hussain said he "believed in picking your best players", and that captains were paid to "man-manage difficult people".

ITV News' Ian Payne reports:

Kevin Pietersen has accused cricket bosses of being "incredibly deceitful" as he said he was "devastated" his chances of being recalled to England were over.

The England and Wales Cricket Board's new director of cricket, Andrew Strauss, today cited a "massive trust issue" as the reason for ending the batsman's international career.

In a first-person piece for The Telegraph, Pietersen has questioned why he was given hope to believe he could earn his way back into the team, when it now seems there was never any intention to let him return.

He also criticised Strauss and his team for, he said, leaking the story to the media.

He will now be travelling to India, he said, to take part in the final stages of a tournament with Sunrisers Hyderabad and to assess what he will do next. "I'm just sorry it won't be putting on an England shirt," he added.