Could Kevin Pietersen play for England again?

On the same day that England suffered another humiliating defeat in the World Cup – their third, and this time a nine-wicket shellacking at the hands of Sri Lanka – news broke that Kevin Pietersen might yet play international cricket again.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph the incoming England & Wales Cricket Board [ECB] chairman, Colin Graves, told the paper that he was prepared to forgive and forget. This is a reference to the events of last year when Pietersen was jettisoned by England after the disastrous Ashes tour, before taking his revenge with a splenetic autobiography that savaged some of his former international teammates.

"What happened in the past is history and there is no point talking about it," said Graves, who replaces Giles Clarke as the head of the ECB in May. "I was deputy chairman when the decision was made [to sack Pietersen] and I supported it so there is no point pulling that to bits. But if he wants to play for England then he has to play for a county… If he does that and then comes out and scores a lot of runs they can't ignore him I would have thought. But that is up to him. You can't pick someone when he is not playing."

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The incoming chairman’s declaration appeared to take both Pietersen and the cricketing world by surprise. The cricketer later reacted on Twitter, writing: "Incredibly humbling how supportive you've all been since the news broke yesterday from Mr Colin Graves. Gonna try work this out for sure!"

But it won't be easy for Pietersen, who won the last of his 104 Test caps in the crushing defeat to Australia in Sydney 14 months ago. Currently without an English county, the South-African born batsman is scheduled to appear in the Indian Premier League next month, a commitment that runs until 24 May. He then heads to the Caribbean Premier League for June and July.

With the English county system beginning on April 12 – and the first Test of the summer starting on May 21 – it's hard to see how the 34-year-old Pietersen could meet Grave's criteria without breaking some lucrative contracts.

Following the incoming chairman’s comments, the ECB issued a statement to clarify the situation, in which they said: "Colin Graves is correct. Nothing has changed. Only players who are playing consistent high-quality county cricket and who are seen as a positive influence will be selected."

While there are some within the top echelons of English cricket who will never see Pietersen as a positive influence, Graves is not one of them, and Pietersen obviously sees the incoming chairman as a potential friend. "I'm absolutely so positive and buzzing about the new regime that's coming in," he told Sky Sports. "It's heartening to see English cricket looks like it's going to go in a positive new direction… I want to play for England again so I am sure if it (the offer) is genuine, I would love to be given that opportunity."