Andrew Strauss has claimed that the ongoing Kevin Pietersen saga did not have a bearing on his decision to retire.

Strauss announced his shock retirement from all forms of the game earlier today, amidst a long-running feud between Pietersen and the ECB.

However, Strauss revealed that his thoughts of retiring dated back to a long time before the Pietersen saga, and that it was irrelevant to his decision.

"I've been thinking about it for a while, I first spoke to Andy [Flower] about it prior to the whole Kevin Pietersen incident rearing its head," said Strauss.

"It just hasn't been a consideration at all for me. I was pretty sure I was going to make this decision before the Kevin Pietersen situation arose. What happened I didn't feel undermined me in the eyes of the team in any way.

"It was obviously a difficult situation to deal with, but not in terms of making me more or less keen to lead this side forward."

Strauss made 100 Test appearances for England, one of only five players to reach that landmark.