England captain Alastair Cook was prepared to walk away from international cricket had Kevin Pietersen been offered a way back into the team, a report has claimed.
Director of cricket Andrew Strauss confirmed earlier this week that the 34-year-old was not being considered for selection due to trust issues between the batsman and the England and Wales Cricket Board following the controversy surrounding his sacking and the autobiography which followed.
According to The Mirror, a key reason behind the decision was to avoid a potential revolt at the ECB after Cook had made it clear that a number of players did not want Pietersen to return to international cricket.
The report suggests that even staff in the ECB offices were against the batsman being handed a recall, and a source told the newspaper that some employees were prepared to quit their jobs over the issue.
After scoring a triple-century for Surrey earlier this week, Pietersen's failure to prove his worth to the ECB was expected to result in his return to the Indian Premier League, but it was revealed on Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the tournament due to injury.
Callum Mulvihill
