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Vaughan to KP: quit IPL for England

Former England skipper challenges exiled batsman to prove his loyalty

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has told exiled batsman Kevin Pietersen to give up the lucrative Indian Premier League if he is serious about making a comeback for his adopted country.

Incoming England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman Colin Graves gave Pietersen a glimmer of hope for a possible return to the English set-upon the weekend, saying the first thing the controversial batsman needed to do was to return to county cricket.

Upon hearing the news, Pietersen said he was “pleasantly surprised” and that his goal ever since he was sacked following the 5-0 Ashes whitewash last summer was to return to the international arena for England.

"Let’s just be clear - I’d love to play for England again,” Pietersen told Sky Sports UK on Sunday.

"If it's genuine, which I’m sure it is, seeing as it’s pretty public ... Goodness, I would love to be given that opportunity again.

"I will need to go away and make some decisions; I need to speak to a few people.”

One of those decisions would be his playing commitments in India after the 34-year-old was bought by Tom Moody’s Sunrisers Hyderabad for $AUD413,000 at the IPL auction in February.

Image Id: ~/media/8A23D72CD59846E6B0A0DC526EEFFC2B

Michael Vaughan wants KP back in county cricket, and backs him to perform // Getty Images

But  Pietersen’s former Test and ODI captain says if the destructive right-hander wants to play for England again he needs to abandon his T20 commitments and put his money where his mouth is.

“You say it for a while you want to play for England - prove it!” Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Give up your IPL deal, go and play for, say, Surrey - freezing cold away at Derby.

“If Kevin is going to do exactly what he's been saying and he's desperate to play (for England), he will play county cricket and I will pretty much guarantee that he will score plenty of runs doing it.”

Pietersen is currently without a county club after he parted ways with Surrey, and the ECB confirmed England’s leading run-scorer across all formats must be competing in domestic cricket if he is to be considered for selection.

"Colin Graves is correct. Nothing has changed - only players who are playing consistent high-quality county cricket and who are seen as a positive influence will be selected for England," an ECB spokesman said.