Kevin Pietersen may retire from Test cricket after Lord's Test

Kevin Pietersen has hinted that the third Test against South Africa at Lord's may be his last for England.

The 32-year-old batsman has been at odds with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) since he quit limited-overs internationals in May.

He told the BBC's Test Match Special: "I can't give any assurances [that the next Test will not be his last].

"I love playing Test cricket, but there are obstacles and I'll decide what happens at the end of the next Test."

His retirement from the shorter formats of the international game came after the ECB rejected his desire to play in Twenty20 internationals but not one-day matches.


Then, media reports in June suggested that he could play all three formats  if he was granted permission to play in the entire Indian Premier League tournament in 2013.

That would have meant missing home Test matches against New Zealand next May.

However, the Surrey player said the availability for the IPL and the ICC World Twenty20 in September was only part of the discussions taking place with the ECB.

"That is two of many points and they are not the main two points," said Pietersen, who was named as man of the match for his 149 in the second Test at Headingley.

"There's other points that I'm trying to sort out in the dressing room.

"Family time is another point, but there's a lot of other issues more important that need sorting. After the next Test match we'll know a lot more.

"It's absolutely 100% not about money. There are clear things that I'm discussing, but there are other issues that need to be sorted."   (BBC.co.uk)