Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen claims he has made up with ex-teammates Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior since retiring, but insists that Graeme Swann is still “not my guy”.
Pietersen, 45, played for England in all three formats between 2004 and 2014, but was a divisive figure who found himself at the centre of controversy several times, including in an episode in 2012 when he sent derogatory texts about teammate Andrew Strauss to South Africa players during a Test between the two sides.
And in his autobiography, released in 2014, Pietersen accused Prior of running a clique within the England side, while both himself and Swann have repeatedly spoken about disliking each other while part of the international set-up.
However, the South Africa-born former batter has now opened up on his relationship with some former teammates since retiring, and claims he has fixed things with both Prior and Strauss since.
“Swanny is not my guy. That’s one. But with Matty, we worked together in South Africa a few years ago for TalkSport, or one of those,” Pietersen told The Telegraph.
“As for Straussy, we’ve spent quite a bit of time together. I played golf with him and [Strauss’s son] Sam. It’s all good, man, it’s all good.”
Pietersen’s exit from the England set-up and subsequent book release caused plenty of tension at the time, but while his England career was filled with controversy, he insists he “loved my cricket career”.
Regarding the more turbulent years, Pietersen said: “It was just a period of time. People understand that it wasn’t great. And they know that I was right.
“I’ll always be thankful to England and English cricket. We won everything. At least, everything apart from the 50-over World Cup. But, listen, I don’t live in what happened last year. Or the year before. Or, certainly, what happened with English cricket.”
