Bayliss set to shoulder arms on Pietersen

England’s new coach Trevor Bayliss won’t agitate for the return of outcast batsman Kevin Pietersen during his tenure, having agreed that the politics of his polarising exclusion are best handled at management level within the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Bayliss, the former Sri Lanka coach who most recently has been in charge of the New South Wales Blues and the Sydney Sixers in the KFC T20 Big Bash League, was confirmed on Tuesday as England’s coach in all three international formats.

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The 52-year-old is scheduled to arrive in the UK just weeks before the opening Ashes Test begins on July 8, and among the first questions he is likely to field from the local media is his view on the ECB’s landmark recent decision to exclude Pietersen from their short-term plans.

However, it is understood that Bayliss has addressed the Pietersen issue with his new employer and received assurances that their stance on the availability of the outspoken South African-born batsman has not changed even though the identity of the team’s coach now has.

A source close to Bayliss told cricket.com.au that Peter Moores’ replacement as coach was satisfied that the Pietersen issue was not one for him to become involved in, and that he was comfortable with the knowledge England’s highest runs scorer across all formats was not available to be picked.

The ECB’s recently appointed Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss announced earlier this month that due to the breakdown in trust between him and Pietersen in the wake of the latter’s scathing autobiography he would not be returning in the foreseeable future.

“We've decided that it's not in the best short-term interests of the side for him (Pietersen) to be in that team,” Strauss said earlier this month.

It was Strauss’s declaration prior to the appointment of a new coach that caused some to question whether candidates for the position might be dissuaded by knowing they might find themselves bound by pre-existing caveats in relation to selection.

But if Bayliss held those concerns, it is understood his discussions with the ECB during his interview process means they have been assuaged.

“He (Bayliss) agreed he would need to go into the job with some clarity around that situation, and I think he has got that clarity now,” the source said.

“Trevor can’t be making that decision, and if they (the ECB) say he (Pietersen) is not available for selection then he knows he can’t pick him.”

Pietersen’s playing future remains unclear, having been absent from the game since suffering an achilles tendon and ankle injury while scoring a career-high 355no for county team Surrey more than a fortnight ago.

It was the following day that Strauss confirmed that Pietersen would not be considered by England’s selectors this summer, and the injury then prevented him from taking up a planned stint in the Indian Premier League though he recently spent time playing golf.

Having ruled out Pietersen on the grounds of the trust issues that had arisen between the veteran of 104 Tests and key people within the ECB and the England dressing room, he assured that in his new role as Director he would not be dictating terms to the incoming coach.

“The new coach is going to be given the opportunity and space to do his job as he should be," Strauss told the BBC during last week’s Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s.

"He is not going to be a whipping boy for me or anyone else.”

Bayliss, who guided Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final and NSW to the Sheffield Shield and the domestic 50-over titles as well as the Sixers’ successes in BBL and Champions League, is expected to take up his role around the same time as the Australia team arrives in the UK for the Ashes in mid-June.