Kevin Pietersen is willing to give up his Indian Premier League contract to play county cricket in an attempt to make an extraordinary return to the England side. In what would be the first step of a very long journey back to international cricket, the exiled star is ready to accept the challenge of new ECB chairman Colin Graves and try to fight his way back to the England side. Graves had said in a BBC interview last month that Pietersen would have to be playing regular county cricket if he was to have any chance of being considered by the a regime which is making sweeping changes at the ECB. Kevin Pietersen is willing to turn his back on the Indian Premier League in order to represent England . Pietersen, pictured in 2008, would have to repair his relationship with England boss Peter Moores . The governing body were then quick to emphasise that nothing had changed in their stance and they would only pick those who were not only performing well in county cricket but who were ‘a positive influence on the England side.’ Pietersen was picked up relatively cheaply by the Hyderabad Sunrisers of the IPL this year in a deal worth around £200,000 making it less expensive for him to throw in his lot with an as yet unnamed county and try to call Graves bluff. Yet a comeback, approaching 35, would still be remarkable. England’s need is greatest in one-day cricket, the format of the game Pietersen least enjoyed during his later years with England, and the wounds from his bitter sacking from England are still raw. He reopened many with his bitter book. If he came back it would be hard to see how he could work with senior players like Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson as well as coach Peter Moores, who he tried to force out in 2009, managing director Paul Downton, who sacked him last year, and national selector James Whitaker, who said in December that Pietersen would never play for England again. For Pietersen to come back now a lot of people would have to either depart or rebuild some seriously broken bridges. Pietersen's England future lies in the hands of new ECB chairman Colin Graves .
Kevin Pietersen is keen to make a return to the England set up . The 34-year-old will have to convince new ECB chairman Colin Graves . Pietersen has a frosty relationship with England boss Peter Moores .