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Kevin Pietersen appears to announce retirement from cricket in teasing Twitter post

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Pietersen scored more than 30,000 runs in his professional career: Getty Images
Pietersen scored more than 30,000 runs in his professional career: Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen appears to have called time on his playing career after deciding not to travel with the Quetta Gladiators to Lahore for their Pakistan Super League play-off.

The former England batsman, who has been quite publicly edging closer to retirement over recent months, helped Quetta qualify from the group stages and move closer to a third successive final appearance in the Twenty20 tournament.

However, after playing all of their matches so far in Sharjah and Dubai, Quetta will now return to Pakistan to face Peshawar Zalmi at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday - and Pietersen has opted not to travel .

In a video posted on the Quetta Gladiators' official Twitter feed, Pietersen said: "Hi guys, it is with a very hardened heart, a very sorry heart, that I have to leave Dubai, going back to London now.

"I wish I could travel but unfortunately family's very important, family decision, and I hope that you can respect my decision and my family's decision not to travel. "