What is in store for Kevin Pietersen now?

Kevin Pietersen’s controversial England career came to a dramatic end after officials announced they "unanimously" wanted to rebuild the side without him following their Ashes thrashing in Australia.

In a joint statement with the 33-year-old former England captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced they’d left the gifted batsman out of their squads for both the upcoming one-day tour of the West Indies and the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh and that this meant the end of his international career.

Following his “sacking” from the England squad, we take a look at What is in store for Kevin Pietersen now?

First, he will enter the Indian Premier League auction this week, and can expect to be more valuable than ever now that he is available for a whole season for the first time. The loss of his central contract will also mark the end of his agreement with Surrey, but he has such a good relationship with his third English county – who have appointed Graham Ford, his old South African mentor, as coach – that it will be a major surprise if he does not negotiate a new deal to play for them in the Twenty20 Bash this summer.

Pietersen will also be free to tie up deals to play in the Caribbean Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash, maybe even in T20 tournaments in Bangladesh, South Africa and New Zealand. Great for his bank balance, less punishing on his dodgy knees – but emphatically not what he wanted.