England's marquee player, Kevin Pietersen, has announced his retirement from International limited overs cricket. However, he will remain available for selection in England's test squad as a specialist Test match player only.

The outstanding all-rounder Kevin Pietersen announced his retirement at a time when England are about to defend their World T20 title four months from now in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the media, Pietersen said that he wished to leave space for young blood to come and avail the opportunity of playing in the World Cup and gain more experience for the world cup in 2015. Pietersen said, "I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game but still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket."

According to Pietersen he only wanted to quit the One day format of the game, but according to England Cricket Board (ECB) regulations, any player who is unavailable for either format would automatically be excluded from both ODI and T20 squads.

It should be noted that his retirement only applies for team England in  International cricket and not from the IPL. He will still be available to participate in the lucrative Indian Premiere League.

Pietersen, 31, has played 127 ODIs and 36 international T20s for England, making his international debut in 2004 against Zimbabwe in Harare. Pietersen has scored 4,184 runs at an average of 41.84 in one-day internationals and averages 37.93 in international T20 cricket