Flower refuses to throw light on Pietersen's international future

London, Aug 22 (ANI): Terming the present stand off between Kevin Pietersen and the England and Wales Cricket Board as very sad situation for everyone involved, coach Andy Flower refused to say whether the star batsman still had an international future, after he was not included for the next month's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Pietersen was also left out of the limited overs and Twenty20 matches against South Africa starting on Friday.

The 32-year-old batsman was the player of the tournament when England won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean two years ago.

But his absence from the latest squad came as little surprise after he was dropped for the final Test against South Africa following his admission of sending provocative text messages to Proteas players, news.com.au reports.

Flower told Sky Sports: "It's a very sad situation for everyone involved. He (Pietersen) played superbly in our last Twenty20 World Cup but the circumstances that exist at the moment mean that he can't be selected for us.

"There are still issues unresolved and we will be addressing those issues when we have time to do so. Let me just be clear, this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin. There are deeper issues.

"Certainly the issues of trust and mutual respect need to be addressed, there are unresolved issues that have reared their heads in the last few weeks. And those issues have to be resolved before there is any way forward.

"You resolve these issues face-to-face with people, not through agents or PR agencies, and if this issue is going to be resolved that's how it is going to have to be." (ANI)