No KP ultimatum, insists Cook
TEST skipper Alastair Cook insists he did not issue an ultimatum to England bosses before they ruled out an international recall for exiled batsman Kevin Pietersen this summer.
It has been suggested that Cook threatened to resign should the England and Wales Cricket Board relent and recall Pietersen after an enforced absence following his sacking in February 2014.
“There was no ultimatum on KP, I don’t know where that came from,” said Cook, ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, which starts today.
“The players weren’t consulted and I want it to be that way. There is nothing we can do about it as players. The decision has been made ahead of us, by [director of cricket] Andrew Strauss and [chief executive] Tom Harrison.”
Yorkshire boss Jason Gillespie, meanwhile, is expected to meet with Strauss today to discuss the vacant England head coach’s position.