Kevin Pietersen still hopeful of England Test return

The 34-year-old was sacked by England in February following the dismal 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Australia in the 2013-14 Ashes series.

Pietersen's impact in the dressing room has been the subject of much debate, and the release of his autobiography in October only served to fuel the fire with a series of damning criticisms of the culture within the England set-up.

The South Africa-born batsman was outspoken in his criticism of former coach Andy Flower, and made allegations of a "bullying culture" among the squad.

Pietersen fell out with Peter Moores during the latter's first spell in charge of the national team, and now that Moores is back at the helm a return for Pietersen looks unlikely, but he insists he still harbours that ambition.

"I have 8,300 runs, I'd love to get 10,000 test runs," he told reporters in Australia, where he is set to feature in the Big Bash for Melbourne Stars.

"I'd love to beat Australia again... last time, we got hammered. That doesn't sit well.

"I'm not a player who likes being hammered, I'm a player who plays to win.

"I should have had a microfracture [surgery] before the double Ashes last year.

"But I was flying around this country getting injected by every single doctor to try to get myself through.

"Having not played Test cricket since January, my body has felt a hell of a lot better. I'm feeling good, ready to go."