LONDON: Australia great Stephen Waugh has told England to forget about an international recall for Kevin Pietersen, saying he was no longer a great player and wasn’t worth a place in the current Test side.

South Africa-born batsman Pietersen has not played for England since controversially being axed last year following the team’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.

“England have got to make a clean break and look forward to the future,” said Waugh in quotes published by Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper on Monday.

“Sometimes you have to have short-term pain to get the long-term gain.

“I don’t think he’s a great player right now. Setting aside all the other things, I don’t think his form warranted a spot in the England side. He may have been a great player but I wouldn’t class him as one now.”

Waugh also said former England captain Pietersen’s history of off-field rows, including the fall-out last year from the publication of his incendiary autobiography, had to be taken into account.

“First, he has to be one of the best six batsmen in the country, which he’s not,” Waugh said.

“Then is he right for the current set-up? “Does he fit in how the team is moving forward? Can he work with the captain and other players? Obviously there have been some issues. That’s part of the reason why he’s not there now.

“Unless he’s changed as a person and a personality — and that’s hard to do — I don’t know how you go back to what happened before. The number one thing is you’ve got to respect each other. Once this stops you’re in real trouble. And I think that’s probably happened over the past couple of years.”

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2015

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