Exclusive – Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen set for showdown talks on Monday night

Journalist and Kevin Pietersen's close friend Piers Morgan has revealed he believes Andrew Strauss wanted to meet the sacked England batsman on Monday night to reiterate he had no international future.

Pietersen, who was sacked by England last year for disciplinary reasons, recorded a career-best score of 326 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire in County Championship Division Two - with 300 of those runs coming in one day.

The knock has boosted the 34-year-old’s performances of an England recall, and Morgan believes it came at the right time because Strauss, England’s new Director of Cricket, was set to confirm his international banishment continued.

“I know that Strauss asked to see Pietersen tonight. It’s clear that before today’s innings he was going to be told he was not going to play for England again. I have no doubt that Strauss was prepared to cut him off again,” said the Britain’s Got Talent judge.

“That conversation is now untenable, sport is a results business. If they have the audacity to look him in the eye and try to tell him that he’s been banned forever given the way he’s been playing, it will cause absolute outrage.”

Morgan’s backing of Pietersen has been well-documented for some time, voicing serious concerns about the way he was treated both during the sacking and since by the England hierarchy.

England have a hectic schedule over the next twelve months, beginning with New Zealand before the Ashes series this summer, and Morgan stresses Pietersen holds the key to any success.

“My feelings are not borne out of anything other than a desire for England to be competitive this summer when we have the toughest schedule for donkeys' years. This is an incredibly demanding schedule and we need the best available players,” Morgan added.

“He’s shown the world today that he remains one of the greatest batsmen in world cricket and if Strauss does anything but bring him back into the team, then on his head be it. The guy is a genius with a cricket bat.”