Pietersen Practises at Lord's for the First Time Since Losing Captaincy

England's deposed captain Kevin Pietersen was back at Lord's today for practice. The 28-year-old had a session in the indoor nets in preparation for England's tour of the West Indies.

Pietersen was driven to Lord's this morning for what is believed to be his first net session since being stripped of the Test and one-day captaincies. He stayed for a couple of hours and is believed to have given the waiting television cameras and reporters the slip by crouching down in the back of a car.

He is thought to have been the only England player at the ground at the time. There was no statement from either the player or the England and Wales Cricket Board.

England depart for a four-Test series against West Indies a week today under the new captain Andrew Strauss following last week's departure of Pietersen and the coach, Peter Moores.

In an interview broadcast on Monday the 28-year-old South Africa-born batsman claimed he had "unfinished business" with the England captaincy and is more than happy to support his successor, but there was no hiding the regret Pietersen feels in having to give up the Test and one-day captaincies following a dispute with Moores, who was sacked by the ECB on 7 January.

"It's been a dark week for me," Pietersen told Sky News. "It's been hard, it's been horrible and it's been hurtful and disappointing, not just for me but also for my family and friends. I'm not angry with anybody, I'm just bitterly hurt and disappointed that my character's been assassinated because I know I'm not a bad bloke."

Pietersen's return to the nets is good news for England - his loss as captain may have been embarrassing, but his value as a batsman is beyond dispute and his talents will be needed if 2009 is to be a successful Ashes year for England.

In that same interview Pietersen appeared keen to concentrate on his batting, but offered his help to Strauss should the new captain require it. "He knows that he can ring me up for advice, but at the end of the day I've only captained England for three Test matches and I've only captained nine or 10 one-day internationals ... I'm no expert in captaincy. He's a top, top man. I've given him my 100% support and I can promise you I'll be right behind him."

Anthony McGrath, who played four Tests in 2003, believes England's start to the Caribbean tour will be crucial in putting the recent rift behind them. "Once they get over there, the key is to get off to a good start, and if they can do that it will soon be forgotten," he said.

"They will all be itching to get abroad and get away from it all. It has been disappointing to see as an England follower and an England fan," McGrath added. "It came out of the blue to me, but the way it has come across in the media has made it look like a bit of a shambles."

The ECB intends to appoint a permanent coach before the start of this summer's international fixtures.