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KP calls time on cricket career

England legend confirms retirement speculation via social media after earlier alluding his playing days might be done

England legend Kevin Pietersen has confirmed his retirement from cricket via social media after pulling out of the Quetta Gladiators' playoff campaign in the Pakistan Super League.

The former England batsman, who has been quite publicly edging closer to retirement over recent months, set tongues wagging with the cryptic tweet: "BOOTS UP. Thank you." 

The 37-year-old followed up the Tweet several hours later confirming that he was referring to the end of his cricket career. 

Pietersen, who has been travelling the world as a T20 specialist for the past four years, was contracted to the Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League.

However as the playoffs move to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates, the club posted a video of Pietersen announcing he wouldn't be travelling with the team due to family reasons. 

The announcement sparked an outpouring of well-wishing from old teammates for the mercurial, and often controversial, England star - many professing him to be the most talented batsman they ever saw. 

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Pietersen has been saying farewell to his fans around the globe over the past year.

The South Africa-born batsman played his final professional match in England with Surrey mid-last year and bid farewell to the KFC Big Bash with the Melbourne Stars in January.

Modest returns came at the Pakistan Super League and now Pietersen appears to be done, concentrating on his conservation work with rhinos. 

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England's second-highest run scorer across all three forms of the game, Pietersen won four Ashes series and hit 8181 runs in 104 Tests.

He briefly captained England and was man of the tournament as England won the World T20 title in 2010.

His international career ended acrimoniously, never playing for England again after a high-profile falling out after the Ashes whitewash of 2013-14.