Kevin Pietersen has been given an opportunity to make the most of the absence of his Ashes rivals by starring for England in the triangular one day series with Australia and Bangladesh. The South Africa-born Hampshire batsman was named on Tuesday in a 14-man squad which will also play in England first Twenty20 match, against Australia at the county's Rose Bowl ground on June 13.
Hard-hitting Pietersen came to prominence by scoring three hundreds during England's 4-1 winter one-day series defeat in South Africa, posting 454 runs in all, including an unbeaten 100 off 69 balls, the quickest three figure score by an England batsman in a limited overs international, at East London. That had led to speculation that Pietersen, 24, who was deputising for injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, would makes his Test debut against Bangladesh.
But with Ian Bell in fine early season form and the selectors staying loyal to veteran Graham Thorpe, there was no place in the middle order for Pietersen in the side that thrashed the Asian minnows by an innings and 261 runs last week at Lord's.
Unsurprisingly, England stuck with the same side Tuesday for the second and final Test against Bangladesh starting at the Riverside on Friday. But Thorpe has retired from one-day international cricket while Bell and Kent's Robert Key have not been included in the limited overs squad. That leaves Pietersen, who fans hope forms a dynamic middle-order partnership with Flintoff, with a month of high profile international cricket in which to advance his case for a place in the team to play Australia in the first Ashes Test starting at Lord's on July 21.
Certainly no sledging the Aussies dish out at Pietersen is likely to equal the abuse he received from players and fans alike in South Africa angered by his decision to reject the Proteas.
He had opted out of representing them because he felt he was being unfairly hindered by a positive discrimination policy designed to boost the prospects of black players
Among those who believe he should be involved in the Ashes are Shane Warne, the Australia leg-spin great who is set to be a key member of Ricky Ponting's attack and is also Pietersen's captain at Hampshire.
Simon Katich, Hampshire's 'other' Australia international, paid Pietersen the compliment of saying that during the Ashes he could become England's batting equivalent of aggressive run-scoring Australia 'keeper Adam Gilchrist.
And David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, admitted Tuesday: "Kevin Pietersen will challenge because he is a talent. The media have quite rightly promoted Kevin because of his South Africa form.