Hoggard says KP doesn't even have 'half a chance' of England return

Former England paceman Matthew Hoggard has claimed that Kevin Pietersen has little chance of making a return to the national squad.

According to Hoggard, Pietersen, is now too far removed from the side after his international career was ended in February 2014. He also slammed incoming England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) boss Colin Graves for opening the door to a possible Pietersen return.

Hoggard said that it's a fairly careless statement from the new chairman, adding that it makes stories at a time where England don't need any more bad press, insisting that it's an extraordinary statement at an extraordinary time, the BBC reported.

With England losing three of their first four World Cup matches in New Zealand and Australia, talk of a Pietersen return has also irritated bowler Stuart Broad. He said that the timing is not ideal for them, insisting that they all need to be focused on how they are going to win against Bangladesh on Monday.

Pietersen, who won 104 Test caps and averaged 47.28 with the bat, was excluded from the England set-up after the 2013-14 Ashes series, which Australia won 5-0. But Yorkshire chairman Graves, who takes up his ECB post in May, suggested the South African-born batsman might be considered for England duty again if he scored a lot of runs in county cricket.

Currently, Pietersen is without a county and is scheduled to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League in April and May.

Hoggard, who took 248 wickets in 67 Tests, thinks the chances of a comeback for Pietersen are slim. He said that he doesn't believe Pietersen has even half a chance of coming back.

The former England bowler, who was an Ashes winner alongside Pietersen in 2005, said that he believes Pietersen is too far removed from this side, with too much water under the bridge for him to come back.