Matthew Hoggard has claimed that a return to the England side for Kevin Pietersen is unlikely.

Despite being sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over a year ago, Pietersen's hopes of playing for England again were raised when incoming chairman Colin Graves suggested that a recall was a possibility.

However, Hoggard believes that his former teammate has little chance of appearing on the international stage again following the controversy which surrounded his sacking and the release of his autobiography last year.

"It's a fairly careless statement from the new chairman," the former England seamer is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "It makes stories at a time where England don't need any more bad press. It's an extraordinary statement at an extraordinary time.

"I don't think he has even half a chance of coming back.

"I think KP is too far removed from this side, with too much water under the bridge for him to come back."

A possible return for Pietersen could hinge on whether he plays four-day cricket this summer, but his commitment to the Indian Premier League means that he would be unavailable for a spell early in the season, and he has not yet signed with an English county side.