KP makes use of England 'lifeline' with sublime ton for Surrey

England out-of-favour batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that he has made a promising start in his bid to make an international comeback, with slamming 170 for Surrey against Oxford MCCU.

Pietersen, who won 104 Test and 136 one-day caps for England, has been out of the national squad since his central contract was cancelled 13 months ago by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following the team's Ashes washout by Australia.

Earlier, incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves had indicated that Pietersen's return to the national team was possible. He had said that Pietersen would need to secure a county deal and post some good run tallies to have any chance of returning to the national team.

Reflecting on his performance, Pietersen claimed that he had been given a 'lifeline', adding that he was batting as well as he had ever batted in his career, the BBC reported.

The sacked batsman said that it bodes well for the future, but insisted that it is only one day of cricket, and has still got a long way to go.

The match also witnessed Pietersen scoring his first century in any form of cricket since the Old Trafford Ashes Test in August 2013.