Alastair Cook hopes to end rift with Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen

Alastair Cook hopes time can heal his rift with Kevin Pietersen - even though they have never spoken since the day the mercurial batsman was ditched by England four years ago.

Cook admitted the breakdown of relations between Pietersen and England went on to have a detrimental effect on his own batting. Cook was captain in 2014 when Pietersen was sacked after a miserably unsuccessful and acrimonious Ashes winter.

A year later he was witness to England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss' final decision that there was no way back into the fold for the exiled batsman.

Cook insists that - although he was relieved when Strauss made the call - his own instinct previously was to suggest a cooling-off period of six months before Pietersen's international career finished for good. Cook told the BBC's Test Match Special: "I haven't spoken to him since that day, but I think time is a great healer. We spent a lot of time together and created some amazing memories."

In fact, Cook revealed, there were never any cross words between the former team-mates face to face. "The thing is, we never fell out. Since then, the internet has fallen out for us," Cook added.

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