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Knight: We don't need Pietersen

Image: Kevin Pietersen: Will be focusing on Test match cricket in the future

Nick Knight has claimed England are likely to be better off without Kevin Pietersen in one-day cricket.

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Sky pundit believes player's decision to quit is the right one

Nick Knight has claimed England are likely to be better off without Kevin Pietersen in one-day cricket. Pietersen recently announced his retirement from all limited-overs internationals to focus on the five-day format. But Sky Sports pundit Knight said England would not miss his talents in the 50-over game with Pietersen having under-performed in recent years. "England's 50-over side will be slightly better for having Kevin Pietersen out, because it has not been his bag," he said. "The recent two to three years have shown his returns have been well below the expectations for him. He has finished with two hundreds [against Pakistan in UAE], but generally he has been below par." Pietersen scored more than 4,000 ODI runs at an average just above 41 - including a run of three hundreds in six matches at the start of his career, against his native South Africa, as well as those two match-winning centuries in his final two innings. Knight added: "It is a brave thing to say because the obvious talent is there. I have looked at the statistics, and they do not add up - so you ask why and look deeper into it. "I think he is right to say he has had enough and move on. That is why I think England are in a better position going forward, because they will have 11 players who are right behind one-day cricket." The pair have previously been at loggerheads with Pietersen having been fined by the ECB for questioning, via Twitter, Knight's credentials as a commentator.

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