Pietersen's decision to quit can return to haunt him: Strauss

London, Jun 7 (ANI): Backing Kevin Pietersen's decision to quit one-day cricket and Twenty20, England Test skipper Andrew Strauss has warned that if Pietersen is not mentally prepared, his decision could come back to haunt him.

Strauss has been through a similar decision-making process to Pietersen, although he wasn't forced to give up a form of the game that he didn't want to.

Pietersen quit one day and T20 international cricket because the ECB refused to let him just play the shortest format.

"I truly believe everyone has the right to determine whether they want to play a certain form of the game," said Strauss.

"Kevin has made that decision and we all respect it. He went into it with his eyes open, he knew what the situation was and what the ramifications were, and we're all just looking forward now."

"The schedules are hard, and if you've got a young family and you've been playing for quite a long time, it's quite hard to keep yourself fresh enough mentally. He has made that decision, and I feel, it's worked pretty well for me, but you've got to be ready to do it.

"The most important thing is that mentally you understand that you're giving away a certain part of the game. If you're not ready to do it, then it can eat away at you. Certainly in my case, that wasn't the case," Strauss said.

The Test skipper is happy that Pietersen will still be available for him, and is convinced there will be much more to come from him, The Daily Mirror reports. (ANI)