BBL 2017/18: Kevin Pietersen hints at retirement from cricket
What's the story?
England batsman Kevin Pietersen admitted that the ongoing edition of the BBL could be his final tournament, thereby calling time on an illustrious cricket career that has spanned over two decades.
"I am definitely coming to the end of my playing time," Pietersen told cricket.com.au. "So I am definitely going to enjoy the last few digs. It's fairly close. It's the practice that you look at and you just think, 'do I want to do it?' I've still got the energy at the moment but it's dwindling."
When asked if the ongoing edition of the BBL would be the last time that cricket fans would see him play, the 37-year-old added: "Possibly."
In case you didn't know...
Since being dropped following the 2013/14 Ashes whitewash, Pietersen hasn't featured for England. However, he has made a name for himself as a T20 specialist around the world. Aside from the IPL and the BBL, he has also featured in the PSL and the CPL.
The heart of the matter
The ongoing season of the BBL is his fourth with Melbourne Stars. Last year, he signed a one-year contract with the side that expires at the conclusion of the ongoing BBL. He already pulled out of the IPL 2017 ahead of the auction and his statements make his participation in the 11th edition of the IPL highly unlikely. He also played his final match for Surrey in 2017 and announced that he wouldn't be returning for a match in the UK.
What's next?
Over the last few years, Pietersen has turned his eyes away from cricket and towards conservation of wildlife in Africa. It is likely that he will continue to do that.
Author's take
BBL is the only cricket tournament that Pietersen is currently playing and his statements look like the precursor to his impending retirement announcement. A long and fruitful career that has seen him score plenty of runs wherever he has played looks set to end in Australia.