'Kevin Pietersen lost the trust of his England team-mates'
Kevin Pietersen was axed from the England set-up because team officials felt he could not be trusted.
The batsman was last week left out of the squads for the tour of the Caribbean and the ICC World Twenty20 and a settlement was reached to dissolve his central contract.
The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement yesterday which acknowledged Pietersen's contribution to England but added: "However, the England team needs to rebuild after the whitewash in Australia.
"To do that we must invest in our captain Alastair Cook and support him in creating a culture in which we can be confident he will have the full support of all players, with everyone pulling in the same direction and able to trust each other.
"It is for those reasons that we have decided to move on without Kevin Pietersen."
The statement raises further questions, with "confidentiality provisions" meaning no details were given of the reasons for the lack of trust in England's leading run-scorers. Pietersen, though, has a history of clashing with authority figures.
He successfully lobbied in January, 2009, for the removal of then-coach Peter Moores, costing him his own position as captain, and almost saw his international career end in 2012 after sending derogatory text messages about then-captain Andrew Strauss to members of the touring South Africa team.
Strauss said: "Without trust, the team environment is stillborn. It is for this reason that Kevin Pietersen's international career had to be brought to an end."
The statement also appeared to address recent tweets from Pietersen's confidant Piers Morgan thought to relate to a team meeting held while England were trailing 4-0 in this winter's Ashes.
The statement read: "Allegations have been made, some from people outside cricket, which as well as attacking the rationale of the ECB's decision-making have questioned, without justification, the integrity of the England team director and some of England's players. "Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and Matt Prior, who have all been singled out for uninformed and unwarranted criticism, retain the total confidence and respect of all the other members of the Ashes party."
