Kevin Pietersen snubbed by Hampshire

Hampshire have refused to include Kevin Pietersen for their Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Kent on Sunday despite a request from Andy Flower, the England coach, to allow him some cricket before the Test series against Pakistan.

Last month Pietersen announced he would be leaving the county to move closer to his home in London. Now Hampshire have responded by opting to stick with their young players rather than risk breaking up a team purely for the sake of Pietersen's match practice. It also means should Hampshire make Twenty20 finals day, which is being held at the Rose Bowl, that Pietersen won't play even if freed from national duty for the showpiece occasion.

Although the club insist Flower is comfortable with the decision - and it is debatable how much value a one-off 40-over hit would have been for Pietersen - it is a rare example of a county going against the ECB's wishes. It leaves Pietersen, who has been low on form this season, as the only England player not to have any cricket before the first Test against Pakistan, at Trent Bridge, on July 29.

"I would like to express my thanks to Andy Flower for agreeing to this sensible decision and wish him, Kevin and the rest of the England team the very best for their forthcoming internationals," said Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman.

"We have some excellent England aspirants here at Hampshire, including batsmen Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams, Michael Lumb, Liam Dawson and James Vince. Whilst at different stages of their development, each of them have provided recent evidence of their ability to progress to represent England. It is our wish and responsibility to give them every possible opportunity to fulfil that potential."

Pietersen suffered a thigh strain during the final one-dayer against Australia but would have been rested anyway under England's rotation policy. However, it means he won't have batted in the middle for nearly a month when he faces a strong Pakistan attack including Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer at Trent Bridge.

His form this season, since returning from the World Twenty20 where was Man of the Tournament, has been disappointing with poor returns against Bangladesh and Australia. However, the England captain Andrew Strauss, speaking before the Hampshire decision was made, remained confident Pietersen would return to his best.

"Kevin has just turned 30 but he has got a lot of cricket left in him," he said. "He has had a tough time, there is no doubt about that. He has not scored as many runs as he has done in the past. But he is a high-quality cricketer and he will come back and play match-winning innings for us."

There was a precedence for Hampshire's move after Ian Bell was left out of a Friends Provident Trophy semi-final in 2007, ironically against Hampshire in a match where Pietersen did appear.