Kevin Pietersen Signs New Central Contract

Kevin Pietersen Signs New Central Contract

Kevin Pietersen can be considered to be fully reintegrated after signing a central contract

©REUTERS / Action Images

Batsman Kevin Pietersen has completed his return to the England setup after signing a full England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) central contract.

England Twenty20 and One-Day International coach Ashley Giles confirmed that Pietersen had signed the deal two days ahead of the team's opening ODI against India in Rajkot.

Pietersen is 3/1 with bet365 to finish the ODI series as England's leading run-scorer.

After a series of turbulent events over the summer which culminated in Pietersen being dropped, he was later handed a short-term contract enabling him to play in the Test series against India, where his dashing century in Mumbai helped England towards a 2-1 series win.

"Kevin has now signed up fully and is fully back on board," Giles said in Rajkot, where England meet India on Friday (11th January).

"It's great news. It's great for me to have him, his experience in this part of the world is invaluable," he added.

The ECB termed Pietersen's return to the side as a 'reintegration process', something which this central contract would appear to have concluded satisfactorily.

© Cricket World 2013