Sacked England cricketer Kevin Pietersen could face a wall of resistance from the dressing room even if he reaches some sort of conciliation with captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Pietersen's current paymasters, have refrained from disclosing whether Flower and Strauss will meet 32-year-old Pietersen after he infuriated his employers, management and team-mates by fraternising with South Africa players during the recent Investec Series.
"Cricketers are a pretty forgiving bunch, but we need to bring stuff out in the open, we can't just have it swept under the carpet," the Daily Mail quoted Strauss, as saying, before last week's third Test defeat at Lord's.
According to the paper, Strauss, 35, is believed to be willing to listen to Pietersen's side of the story even though he is yet to apologise for the 'provocative' texts in person.
However, despite Strauss's apparent willingness to hear out his highest maintenance player, the rest of England's squad have hardened their attitudes against the man who dominated discussion before, during and after the third Test.
Several players are reportedly privately furious that their captain has been publicly undermined by a man, who some believe, has intentionally created a picture of dressing-room disharmony to mask his intention of playing in the Indian Premier League, the paper said.
Strauss and Flower are also acutely aware of the antipathy towards Pietersen felt by the vast majority of his team-mates. The batsman may not be loathed by all of them, but the word is not too strong a description of the feeling towards him harboured by many in the side, it added.
ANI
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