Pietersen won’t go on extended tour without wife

(BBC) Kevin Pietersen has said he would not go on another extended England tour like the one in West Indies, without his wife, singer Jessica Taylor.

Explaining his comments on Saturday that he was “at the end of his tether” he said it was partly down to frustration at England’s poor results.

He added: “I’ve never said I want to miss a tour and there’s no way I will ever miss a tour. I love touring.

“But there’s no way I’ll be without my wife for 11 weeks again.”

Pietersen, 28, will be fit to play in the one-day series decider, and tour finale, in St Lucia despite a back spasm sustained on Sunday.

He said the England team’s general failure to win matches, whether in India before Christmas under his leadership – or in the West Indies since then – had left him drained.

He said: “The first half of the winter was a shambles under my leadership. We didn’t come close to winning a game in India and we didn’t come close to winning a game here before we won on Sunday – except for the mathematical error on the West Indies’ part in Guyana.

“The comments were born from the frustration of that. We all want to go home, but it does not stop the commitment we all put in on a daily basis.

“I am absolutely 100% passionate about playing for England. I absolutely never take it for granted about wearing the three lions on my chest.

“The second part of the frustration was I hadn’t seen my wife since 21 January. It’s the longest period of time I’ve been away from her.”
Pietersen also explained how he sat down with the tour management to request a 48-hour break between Test matches to be with wife Jessica, 28, who used to be with group Liberty X, who he married in December 2007.

“We decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for the team going forward,” he said. “There were no arguments, no nonsense, no disappointment on my behalf.

“I have been totally supportive of everything that has happened on this tour.”