Kevin Pietersen set for return to county cricket
Controversial batsman Kevin Pietersen is "looking at" playing county cricket this year in a bid to win an England recall.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Pietersen, who was effectively sacked by England last winter, will miss the Indian Premier League this year, and said Surrey were the favourites to re-sign him.
When asked on Saturday if he would play county cricket, Pietersen told Fox Sports Australia: "That's what I'm looking at at the moment.
"There will be a change of scenery at board level with the ECB and I've always expressed my desire to play for England again if I get the opportunity."
Following his sacking, Pietersen wrote a book which was strongly critical of several of his England team-mates and it appeared that he would finish his career playing Twenty20 cricket overseas.
But with England limping to an early exit in the World Cup, speculation about a return has resumed and the England and Wales Cricket Board's incoming chairman Colin Graves said last month that players would be picked on performance and not personality when he takes over from Giles Clarke in May.
Pietersen, who turns 35 this summer, continued: "It seems encouraging but I've obviously got a few steps that I've got to climb. It just makes perfect sense to explore different things - that's what I'm doing.
"There's nothing to add (to the reports). Whatever you've seen, you've seen. I've still got more decisions to make - it's weekend now so nobody will be picking up their phones, but (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) will be very exciting, hopefully."
The Sunrisers Hyderabad signed Pietersen for around £300,000 in the IPL auction in January, but in order to be considered for England once again Pietersen would have to pull out as the IPL season runs from April 9 to May 25.
He has also signed to play for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, which starts at the end of June.