Pietersen to leave Hampshire at end of season

LONDON, (Reuters) – England batsman Kevin Pietersen  is to leave his county side Hampshire at the end of the season,  the club said in a statement yesterday.

Pietersen, who was part of England’s Twenty20 World Cup  winning side, lives in London with his wife and baby son and  wants to play for a county closer to home.

“Given England’s critical dependence on KP (Pietersen) in  all forms of cricket, we have not seen anything like as much of  him as we would have liked over the past six years,” Rod  Bransgrove, chairman of Hampshire Cricket said in the statement.

“He remains, however, a fantastic player and we wish him  continued success wherever he plays.”

Pietersen, who joined Hampshire from Nottinghamshire after  the 2004 season, has played only seven County Championship  matches for the club.