Specifically, this: why couldn’t Pietersen have waited to retire until after the T20 World Cup? Did he really think his 31-year-old body wouldn’t be able to handle the load between now and then?
I’m also not sure I understand the English selection criteria: you can retire from Tests only, or ODIs and T20s only, but not ODIs or T20s alone? But why? Surely there will be enough players for each format?
Ducking Beamers: A Cricket Blog 
Maybe it’s a “if you don’t let me retire from just the ODIs, I won’t play the World Cup for you. And ohbytheway, FU for the Nick Knight thing.”
See Cricinfo. It’s basically Flower and ECB holding old grduges against him and forcing him, in the typical English way, to the edge, and making him do something that apparently looks like betrayal of country by Kevin, but in reality, an end they wish for, and do not wish to take responsibility or scrutiny for.
England – forcing people to their edges, and taking sanctimonious public positions, while internally being petty and small-minded and sabotaging their own people and other people, too.(Whole of the world, infact.). For centuries.
I think a lot of it is a petulant reaction against his fine for the Nick Knight comments (who was, by the way, the best English ODI player of his time).
David,
I’ve been in love with Nick Knight ever since I watched him carry his bat during an innings. That was the first time I heard the expression “carry his bat” — and though I never followed his career after that, that’s all it took.
One could also say it is Flower’s and ECB’s petulant reaction to KP’s actions in the past. Nick Knight himself recognised that KP had a right to criticise him professionally, while ECB went ahead and fined him.
I fear that ECB and Flower will continue to harass him and probably force him to a corner where he announces retirement from Test Cricket – and then, in that typical British way, claim that KP had all along planned tor retired from Test Cricket and run after money – when in reality, it could be an end that they wish for and politically manouevre to make it happen.
England cricket should keep in mind that Kevin is the back bone of England’s beating line and i think Kevin should also show some patience because Tendulkar is not young then Kevin but he is still playing well and increasing his total.