KEVIN Pietersen became a free agent yesterday when his ECB central contract expired but it may not be a situation he finds himself in for long with growing suggestions that a new deal will shortly be signed although it is still unlikely to mean a swift return to England team.

Pietersen has been working as TV pundit in Sri Lanka over the last couple of weeks during the World Twenty20 and has held a number of meetings with Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, after he was left off the original contract list that was named last month.
It is expected that Pietersen will be told to make another public apology to go alongside the private conversations he has had with Alastair Cook, Andy Flower and the former captain Andrew Strauss.
Pietersen has said he will commit to all cricket for England and not play a full IPL – a stance first voiced in his YouTube video the day before he was dropped – having previously retired from ODIs which forced him to quit Twenty20.
However, he is still expected to play for Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League T20 which starts next week and there are a number of Big Bash League franchises interested in signing him, and that tournament takes place in December and January.
Closer to home an ECB contract will make it simpler for Pietersen to remain on Surrey’s books as his salary will be paid by the board.
Pietersen has been on the outside since he was left out of the final Test against South Africa when it was revealed he sent ‘provocative’ texts to South African players at Headingley.
He has since apologised for the messages, although the exact content remains in doubt as there is no physical evidence.
With the ECB suits appearing ready to sign-off on Pietersen’s return it is now a question of how Andy Flower, the team director, will feel about the situation and how soon he believes Pietersen can be brought back into the fold. Given that the Test squad for the India series has already been named that appears too soon, but there are two Twenty20s before Christmas and the one-day leg afterwards which are both possibilities although the tour of New Zealand may provide a cleaner starting point. (ESPN Cricinfo)