Kevin Pietersen has hinted he might retire from Test cricket as well after England's third and final match against South Africa.
Pietersen has never really seen eye-to-eye with the England and Wales Cricket Board, and the strained relationship was further increased when the batsman announced his retirement from the one-day game. The 32-year-old wanted to continue to play T20 cricket for his country, but ECB stepped in and said he would have to retire from all forms of limited-overs cricket, or be available for selection in both one-dayers and T20s.
"I can't give any assurances (that the next Test will not be his last)," Pietersen told BBC's Test Match Special.
"I love playing Test cricket, but there are obstacles and I'll decide what happens at the end of the next Test."
Pietersen, who has played 88 Tests, has been accused of wanting to play in the lucrative T20 tournaments like the Indian Premier League, ahead of playing for England, but the attacking batsman said those were only small areas of a much larger issue.
"That is two of many points and they are not the main two points," said Pietersen, who was named as man of the match for his 149 in the second Test at Headingley, which was drawn.
"There's other points that I'm trying to sort out in the dressing room.
"Family time is another point, but there's a lot of other issues more important that need sorting. After the next Test match we'll know a lot more.
"It's absolutely 100% not about money. There are clear things that I'm discussing, but there are other issues that need to be sorted."
Pietersen admitted he was angry at the details of his discussions with ECB being released to the media. "Did I leak anything to the media about the meetings I was having with the ECB? I never spoke to the media for one single second," he insisted.
"I never spoke a single word about anything that happened behind closed doors, or what I thought was closed doors.
"For me, the saddest part about all this is that the spectators love watching me play and I love playing for England.
"The politics is what I have to deal with personally. It's tough being me and playing for England, it's tough."
England captain Andrew Strauss insisted the problems off the field would not affect the team's performances on the field. England are trying to hold onto their No 1 ranking, and will need a win against South Africa in the final match; otherwise the Proteas, who have a 1-0 series lead, will be crowned the new No 1 team in Test cricket.
"It's always the case that you want to take anything that's happening off the field, put it to one side and concentrate on winning a Test match for England," Strauss said.
"It's important to stress that the team spirit in this England side over the past three years has been outstanding. It's something we pride ourselves on and will continue to."
