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By Paul Newman
The riches of the Indian Premier League were said by Andy Flower last week to be the 'catalyst' for the breakdown in Kevin Pietersen's relationship with England.
Eoin Morgan promises it won't distract him. Morgan is one of the few England players other than Pietersen who has proved attractive to IPL owners, even though he failed to play during his two-month stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year.
That did not stop him earning around £220,000 for his eight weeks sitting on the Kolkata bench and spurning the chance to try to regain his lost Test place by working on his first-class game with Middlesex.
On the up: Morgan is keen for a return to the Test side
Yet, Morgan, the most important batting talent in an England one-day side who finally start their NatWest Series against South Africa on Tuesday at the Ageas Bowl, insists he will resist the lure of the East next year if there is any chance of returning to the Test middle order.
'I came across from Ireland as a 15-year-old to try to play Test cricket and it remains my priority,' said Morgan, who was dropped after scoring just 82 runs in six innings against Pakistan at the start of this year.
'I've had a little sniff of it and absolutely loved it. I was in the England team when we became No 1 in the world and nothing comes close to the experience of being in a winning Test side.
Outcast: Pietersen's chances of ending his exile remain remote
'If it came about that I was back in the Test team around the next IPL, I would be the happiest man in the world. And if I'm in the frame but not quite in the team, then I might have to look differently at whether I play the full IPL. I looked into that this year but I was a long way away after being dropped so I didn't investigate playing more county cricket too closely.'
If Pietersen is unable to bring his exile to an end before the Test trip to India in November - and chances of that remain remote - then Morgan will be hoping to claim the final batting place in the squad by spearheading England's attempt over four matches to at least remain on top of the one-day rankings.
Morgan has averaged only 30 in his 16 Tests - 10 fewer than his one-day mean - and struggled in the long game even before his ordeal at the hands of Pakistan.
But England still rate him very highly and have not discarded him from their Test thoughts, even though he has now fallen behind Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor and possibly Ravi Bopara in the pecking order.
'The route to the Test team came through one-day performances for me and the bigger picture for me remains Test cricket,' said Morgan, who has made two of his four one-day centuries at the Hampshire venue.
'I'm a better player now than I was at the start of the year. I think I've proved that in bursts. Hopefully, I can prove that again during this series.'
Pietersen played for Surrey at Taunton yesterday while England captain Andrew Strauss has extended his week’s holiday, so there has been little chance for the pair to thrash out the former’s problems.
Yet, Sportsmail understands England hope to be nearer to knowing whether they will be able to welcome Pietersen back by the end of this week.
They must move quickly because time is running out before they name their Test squad for India and their centrally contracted players before leaving for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka on September 13.
England have not yet begun the process of renewing their contracts, which usually begin with informal one-on-one talks between Flower and each player.
Until Pietersen has had the chance of a full and frank exchange with his captain, he remains unlikely to get as far as contract discussions.
The riches of the Indian Premier League were said by Andy Flower last week to be the 'catalyst' for the breakdown in Kevin Pietersen's relationship with England.
Eoin Morgan promises it won't distract him. Morgan is one of the few England players other than Pietersen who has proved attractive to IPL owners, even though he failed to play during his two-month stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year.
That did not stop him earning around £220,000 for his eight weeks sitting on the Kolkata bench and spurning the chance to try to regain his lost Test place by working on his first-class game with Middlesex.
On the up: Morgan is keen for a return to the Test side
Yet, Morgan, the most important batting talent in an England one-day side who finally start their NatWest Series against South Africa on Tuesday at the Ageas Bowl, insists he will resist the lure of the East next year if there is any chance of returning to the Test middle order.
'I came across from Ireland as a 15-year-old to try to play Test cricket and it remains my priority,' said Morgan, who was dropped after scoring just 82 runs in six innings against Pakistan at the start of this year.
'I've had a little sniff of it and absolutely loved it. I was in the England team when we became No 1 in the world and nothing comes close to the experience of being in a winning Test side.
Outcast: Pietersen's chances of ending his exile remain remote
'If it came about that I was back in the Test team around the next IPL, I would be the happiest man in the world. And if I'm in the frame but not quite in the team, then I might have to look differently at whether I play the full IPL. I looked into that this year but I was a long way away after being dropped so I didn't investigate playing more county cricket too closely.'
If Pietersen is unable to bring his exile to an end before the Test trip to India in November - and chances of that remain remote - then Morgan will be hoping to claim the final batting place in the squad by spearheading England's attempt over four matches to at least remain on top of the one-day rankings.
Morgan has averaged only 30 in his 16 Tests - 10 fewer than his one-day mean - and struggled in the long game even before his ordeal at the hands of Pakistan.
But England still rate him very highly and have not discarded him from their Test thoughts, even though he has now fallen behind Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor and possibly Ravi Bopara in the pecking order.
'The route to the Test team came through one-day performances for me and the bigger picture for me remains Test cricket,' said Morgan, who has made two of his four one-day centuries at the Hampshire venue.
'I'm a better player now than I was at the start of the year. I think I've proved that in bursts. Hopefully, I can prove that again during this series.'
Pietersen played for Surrey at Taunton yesterday while England captain Andrew Strauss has extended his week’s holiday, so there has been little chance for the pair to thrash out the former’s problems.
Yet, Sportsmail understands England hope to be nearer to knowing whether they will be able to welcome Pietersen back by the end of this week.
They must move quickly because time is running out before they name their Test squad for India and their centrally contracted players before leaving for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka on September 13.
England have not yet begun the process of renewing their contracts, which usually begin with informal one-on-one talks between Flower and each player.
Until Pietersen has had the chance of a full and frank exchange with his captain, he remains unlikely to get as far as contract discussions.
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