‘Let down’ Strauss to talk ‘face to face’ with Pietersen after Lord’s Test

London: England captain Andrew Strauss has said he has been let down by Kevin Pietersen’s recent conduct and added that he would hold face to face talks with the South African born player after the culmination of the Lord’s Test against the Proteas, on which his current focus lies.

Strauss would demand to know the exact content of the text messages Kevin Pietersen sent to members of the South African team before considering accepting him back into the side. The texts are thought to contain an Afrikaans swear word describing Strauss. Pietersen yesterday issued an apology but only for sending “provocative” texts. “If we are going to resolve those issues we need to do it face to face, away from the media spotlight and away from PR companies and press releases,” “That is not helping any of us at this stage. This [the apology] is a step forward and in the right direction but this issue has not just been about the text messages. There has been a bit more of a broader issue about trust and mutual respect. That issue I am very keen to resolve but it is not going to be resolved overnight,” he added. Pietersen has now gone on holiday with his family to Europe and when he returns, officials at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will begin the process of rebuilding the relationship between Pietersen, his captain and fellow England players. “I don’t know how and when this is going to be resolved. All I know is my particular focus will be on the game of cricket for the next week. I personally think it is not a process that can be finished overnight,” Strauss said. “From our point of view it wasn’t possible for him to play in this Test. I feel a little bit let down by Kevin. This is not an issue between Kevin and me. It is a broader issue than that. I have always got on very well with Kevin which is why some of the personal stuff has been quite surprising to me,” he added. ANI