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Kevin Pietersen vows to carry on

Kevin Pietersen today brushed off talk of retirement and has signalled his intention to help England regain the Ashes next year.

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The future of the enigmatic batsman has been a key topic of conversation since Alastair Cook's men relinquished the urn following a humiliating 5-0 defeat Down Under.

At 33 and with doubts over his long-term fitness due to a chronic knee problem, there have been reports hinting Pietersen was set to announce his retirement.

Yet Pietersen has expressed his goal to register 10,000 Test runs – he currently has 8,181 – and today again committed himself to England for the 2015 Ashes series.

"Very disappointed to lose 5-0 and not to score more runs personally. Tough tour against a top class team. #Ashes," he said on Twitter. "I'm determined to help regain the Ashes in 2015."

While Pietersen was England's highest run scorer against Australia, his contribution of 294 in 10 innings meant he had an average of under 30 compared with a career average of 47.28.

The manner of some of his dismissals led to criticism, and former England captain Michael Vaughan fears the Surrey man may be made a scapegoat.

Vaughan said: "Alastair Cook needs to use Pietersen properly and ask him his view on the style of cricket the team have to play to become number one in the world again.

"I fear England will not do that and will decide to get rid of Pietersen. That would be a sad loss for English cricket."

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