Kevin Pietersen 'dropped' for Lord's Test over text row

Zeenews Sports Bureau

London: In a brave move, England Cricket Board dropped stylish right-hander Kevin Pietersen for the final Test against South Africa starting on Thursday over reports which said he sent derogatory texts to South African players. As per the ports, Pietersen’s text carried derogatory remarks about coach Andy Flower and skipper Andrew Strauss. The right-hander had previously said that the Lord`s Test could be his final match for England but later issued an apology on Saturday which said he wanted to play for England in all formats of the game. Pietersen retired from one-day internationals earlier this year, after which England ruled him out of its Twenty20 squad. The ECB has named Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow as a replacement for Pietersen. England squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, James Taylor, Jonathan Trott.