By Alec Stewart

BBC Test Match Special

It certainly wasn’t a shock to me that Kevin Pietersen was left out of the England squad for the World Twenty20.

He hadn’t been picked for the final Test against South Africa, there are still issues to be sorted out and England captain Andrew Strauss said after the game that they need to discuss them before any decisions are made.

I’m sure it was no surprise to Pietersen himself that he wasn’t picked – and he will know that until those problems are resolved he won’t be selected.

Speaking purely as an England fan, I want to see him back in the team. He’s an X-factor player – a box-office cricketer – and England will miss him at the World T20.

Any team without Pietersen is a weaker team when you appreciate what he is capable of with a bat in his hand.

But I know from my playing days that you must have the right environment, with the whole team going forward as one tight-knit unit.

Pietersen knows – and everyone else knows – that until he is able to sit down with Strauss and team director Andy Flower to sort out the issues, face to face and in a totally honest way, then he won’t feature in the current set-up.

I would hope that Strauss and Flower want Pietersen back in the side, but only if everything has been sorted out and the trust and respect between all parties restored.

The most positive thing Pietersen has said is that he wants to play for England in all forms of the game.

He knows he has made mistakes and I’m sure he will put his hand up and say so.

However, he can only come back once Strauss and Flower decide the time is right. It all depends whether his apologies and reasoning will be accepted.

If there isn’t any common ground then he won’t come back – it’s as simple as that. Both Strauss and Flower have the power to resurrect Pietersen’s international career or end it.

It’s impossible to predict whether he will return because we don’t know all the facts.

A lot has been written and said about the text messages Pietersen is meant to have sent to some of the South Africa players,  which seems to have been accepted as fact by a lot of people.

It was originally said that he told the opposition to bowl around the wicket to

Strauss, but since then that has been said to be untrue.

We need to remember that a lot of it is pure speculation and allegation. The absolute truth is we, the public, don’t know exactly what the breakdown is in the relationship with Pietersen and the team, and Pietersen and his captain.

I was very interested in Flower’s comments when he said: “Let me be clear: this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin. There are deeper issues.

“Certainly the issues of trust and mutual respect need to be addressed; there are unresolved issues that have reared their heads in the last few weeks. And those issues have to be resolved before there is any way forward.”

Pietersen’s next opportunity to play for England is on the tour of India this winter. Between now and when that squad is announced the relevant meetings will have taken place to clear up this ugly and unwanted mess and everyone can move on and concentrate solely on the cricket. The sooner those discussions take place the better.

Picking the T20 and one-day squads must have been a pretty straightforward process for the England selectors.

T20 captain Stuart Broad has been rested for the one-day internationals against South Africa, starting on Friday in Cardiff, and that makes sense. Any opportunity England get to rest one of their big guns in the crowded schedule is welcome.

For the World T20 in Sri Lanka, England have all bases covered in the bowling department: Graeme Swann, Samit Patel and Danny Briggs as frontline spinners; the swing, reverse swing and variations of Jade Dernbach; the height and pace of Steven Finn; Tim Bresnan and Broad as bowling all-rounders; and Ravi Bopara will be handy for a few overs on the slow, low surfaces with his medium pace along with Luke Wright’s skills.

England are the defending champions but will be playing in conditions that haven’t always suited their style of play.

However, if they perform with confidence and a no-fear attitude then retaining the trophy is quite possible.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/19335919