<p>England captain Alastair Cook has given his backing for the “brave call” to end the international career of Kevin Pietersen.<br /><br /></p>.<p>But exactly why he was sent into seemingly permanent international exile remains a mystery, with ECB statements citing a need for team “rebuilding” and “trust” raising more questions than answers.<br /><br />But left-handed opener Cook was in no doubt the correct decision had been taken even though in 2010 World Twenty20 winner Pietersen’s absence — and that of Cook, who doesn’t play in the format — the side bowed out of this year’s edition with an embarrassing dead-rubber defeat by the non-Test Netherlands in Bangladesh on Monday.<br /><br />“It was a brave call which took guts and consideration,” said Cook. “You do have to say at some point, ‘This is the way we’re going to do it moving forward.’”<br /><br />Cook hinted at the current problem on Tuesday by saying: “We all know how important team culture and team unity is. It was obviously a very big and important decision.”<br /><br />Cook said he understood the annoyance of England fans, bemused at why a world-class player and the team’s leading run-scorer in Australia, was no longer part of the set-up but pleaded for patience and said the truth would emerge soon.<br /><br />“I know things will become clearer in a little bit of time. I know it is frustrating. It is frustrating for me, because I have not totally been able to tell my side of the story. People just have to be a little bit patient.<br /><br />“Everyone is going to keep asking that question until we give the answers — but at the moment we just can’t.”</p>
<p>England captain Alastair Cook has given his backing for the “brave call” to end the international career of Kevin Pietersen.<br /><br /></p>.<p>But exactly why he was sent into seemingly permanent international exile remains a mystery, with ECB statements citing a need for team “rebuilding” and “trust” raising more questions than answers.<br /><br />But left-handed opener Cook was in no doubt the correct decision had been taken even though in 2010 World Twenty20 winner Pietersen’s absence — and that of Cook, who doesn’t play in the format — the side bowed out of this year’s edition with an embarrassing dead-rubber defeat by the non-Test Netherlands in Bangladesh on Monday.<br /><br />“It was a brave call which took guts and consideration,” said Cook. “You do have to say at some point, ‘This is the way we’re going to do it moving forward.’”<br /><br />Cook hinted at the current problem on Tuesday by saying: “We all know how important team culture and team unity is. It was obviously a very big and important decision.”<br /><br />Cook said he understood the annoyance of England fans, bemused at why a world-class player and the team’s leading run-scorer in Australia, was no longer part of the set-up but pleaded for patience and said the truth would emerge soon.<br /><br />“I know things will become clearer in a little bit of time. I know it is frustrating. It is frustrating for me, because I have not totally been able to tell my side of the story. People just have to be a little bit patient.<br /><br />“Everyone is going to keep asking that question until we give the answers — but at the moment we just can’t.”</p>
