Kevin Pietersen has taken aim at the ECB following Ben Stokes' retirement from ODI cricket, having tried to do something similar a decade earlier.
In his statement, Stokes said it was simply "unsustainable" for him to play all three formats for England and the all-rounder will now solely focus on Test cricket and T20s. In 2012, Pietersen attempted to do the same, but was forced to retire from T20 cricket as well due to ECB rules.
"With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through," Pietersen said in a statement that echoes Stokes'.
"For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming World Twenty20," Pietersen added at the time. He did briefly return to action the following year, playing a further nine ODIs and one T20I.
However, his message was clear and one that Stokes has essentially echoed ten years on. And Pietersen has taken to Twitter to criticise the ECB for net letting him retire from ODIs but continue to play T20Is like Stokes.
"I once said the schedule was horrendous and I couldn't cope, so I retired from ODI cricket & the ECB banned me from T20s too………….", Pietersen wrote, including a laughing emoji. When a fan responded stating that things have changed since he played for England, Pietersen replied: "I made them change!"
Stokes, meanwhile, has further opened up about his decision, stating that there is simply "too much cricket rammed in". He told the BBC : "We are not cars, you can't just fill us up and we'll go out there and be ready to be fuelled up again.
"We had a Test series and then the one-day team had a series going on at the same time – that was a bit silly. I just feel like there is too much cricket rammed in for people to play all three formats now.
"It is a lot harder than it used to be, because it makes you feel tired and sore. I look back to when I used to do all three and it didn't feel like it was as jam-packed and all that."
