England Test captain Alastair Cook has denied issuing the ECB with an ultimatum over the selection of Kevin Pietersen.
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ECB cricket director Andrew Strauss last week confirmed Pietersen would not be considered for national selection due to “trust issues”.
Pietersen was sacked by England in February 2014 following the side’s 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia after being told he was a disruptive presence in the squad.
Strauss and Pietersen have had their personal differences, and the former was forced to apologise after making an offensive remark about his former teammate during a TV broadcast.
The bad blood between the pair stems back to 2012 when Pietersen was found to be sending text messages about Strauss to the South African cricket team.
However, reports emerged last week that Cook issued an ultimatum to the ECB and threatened to quit the team if Pietersen was selected to play for England in its upcoming Test series’ against New Zealand and Australia.
Cook on Wednesday denied such reports, saying he didn’t know where the information came from.
“There was no ultimatum. I can deny that,” Cook is quoted as saying by AFP.
“I don’t know quite where that came from.
“There is nothing we can do about it as players. The decision has been made, by Andrew Strauss and Tom Harrison.”
England’s two-Test series against New Zealand begins at Lord’s on Thursday.
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