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London : English cricketers can “forget” about the shorter format unless they embrace IPL, according to Kevin Pietersen, who says his efforts to get his countrymen to play in the IPL have fallen on “deaf ears”. England have not been able to consistently make a mark in limited-overs cricket, their problems compounded by a 1-3 defeat to India in the just-concluded ODI series, which has left a huge question mark on their plans ahead of next year’s World Cup. “Looking into the future, until we let our young players appear in the IPL we can forget about the shorter form of the game. I have tried for years to get England players playing in the IPL but it has fallen on deaf ears,” Pietersen wrote in his column in the Daily Telegraph.
The 34-year-old, whose contract was torn up some time back ending his national career prematurely, added: “English cricket’s view is that if you play in the IPL you are a mercenary. But in the IPL guys learn to hit sixes. They learn that any target is gettable. The bowlers learn variations and tricks. They learn new tactics from opposition players and guys in their own teams.” Pietersen said.
