Sydney, Jun 3(ANI): England star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who shocked the cricketing word by retiring from the limited over format of the game on Thursday, is likely to snub Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) this summer.
The Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat franchisees from BBL had expressed interest in signing Pietersen, but the maverick England batsman has refused to join.
Melbourne Stars chief executive Clint Cooper yesterday said he had already approached Pietersen's management, but the news wasn't encouraging.
"We already had a brief discussion with his manager but it doesn't look like he is going to be available over that Christmas period," The Age quoted Cooper, as saying.
"He didn't give an absolute reason why - he is just spending Christmas at home this year," he added.
A Brisbane Heat spokesman confirmed on Saturday it would have approached the former England captain who averages 37.91 at a superb scoring rate of 141.51 in 36 Twenty20 internationals.
If not for family reasons, Pietersen might have been available to play in the BBL.
He will continue to play Test cricket and England has a four-Test tour of India in December. However, that series finishes on December 17. The BBL will begin around that date.
Pietersen had intended to continue playing international Twenty20, but the England and Wales Cricket Board responded by axing him from the Twenty20 set-up, claiming he must be available for all forms of one-day cricket. (ANI)
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