Pietersen Omitted From World T20 Squad

Kevin Pietersen's international exile will continue after he was left out of England's 15-man World Twenty20 squad.

Pietersen was dropped for the third test against South Africa after allegations he exchanged text messages with members of the Proteas team concerning captain Andrew Strauss during the second test at Headingley.

A time scale on Pietersen's return to the England fold and reconciliation with Strauss is unknown, but his omission from the World Cup squad, intent on defending the trophy won in the West Indies in 2010 and the one-day team to face South Africa, throws into doubt his long-term international future.

"Kevin Pietersen's future involvement is still being determined and he was therefore not considered for selection in either squad," national selector Geoff Miller said.

One-day captain Alastair Cook is the other big name exclusion from the squad to travel to Sri Lanka, having not featured in a T20 international for nearly three years.

Michael Lumb is recalled to the squad following his winning contribution two years ago, while Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara both return after spells away from the international set up.

Wright, part of the Sussex team that have reached Twenty20 finals day, returns after having not featured for England for over a year, while Bopara's comeback precedes a self-imposed exile from the game for personal reasons.

Despite having played just a single one-day international, Hampshire's Danny Briggs gets the nod as the second spinner behind Graeme Swann, while captain Stuart Broad is joined by fellow seamers Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Steven Finn.

"We are very much looking forward to beginning the defence of our World T20 title next month," Miller said. "We know that it will take exceptional cricket to retain the trophy and that begins with the first match against Afghanistan.

"This is a very balanced squad combining experienced players with some exciting young talent who have done well at both international and domestic level this season and who are all very excited by the challenges ahead in Sri Lanka."

England squad for ICC World Twenty20 and T20 series v South Africa:

Broad, Bairstow, Bopara, Bresnan, Briggs, Buttler, Dernbach, Finn, Hales, Kieswetter, Lumb, Morgan, Patel, Swann, Wright.

One-day series squad v South Africa

Cook, Anderson, Bairstow, Bell, Bopara, Bresnan, Dernbach, Finn, Kieswetter, Morgan, Patel, Swann, Trott, Woakes.