KP points the finger at ECB for his delayed return to England squad

Johannesburg, Nov.12 (ANI): England's best batsman Kevin Pietersen has suggested that his recovery from Achilles surgery that forced him out of this summer's Ashes series was mismanaged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Asked if he felt he had been pushed too hard in the initial rehabilitation, he said: "Yes, there were bits and pieces of that, but it is a long time ago and I want to concentrate on the cricket."

"I will leave that until the end of my career. I don't want to go into it," he told The Guardian.

"I have spent the last six weeks in the gym doing what I can to get myself right, I had lost a lot of fitness sitting on my couch for a couple of months with the infection and everything. It is something I am going to have to watch but I am confident the surgery was a success. When I was laid up I viewed it as an opportunity to have a well-earned break, I didn't want to think, 'this is my achilles, I might never play again'.

"There was nothing I could do about it so there was no point in complaining or pointing fingers. I wanted to enjoy the break and come back fresh."

Pietersen's recovery programme was controlled by the ECB. Last night it declined to comment. (ANI)