England's captain Andrew Strauss has confirmed that batsman Kevin Pietersen was denied permission to leave the team's troubled tour to West Indies to watch his wife take part in a television talent contest.
Pietersen was stripped of the captaincy in January over a falling out with former coach Peter Moores.
He had asked a month ago to take a 48-hour break between the drawn third and fourth tests.
Strauss says iot wasn't granted because it sets a bad precedent if people can go home during cricket tours.
He says Pieterson understood that fully and the former captain has been very professional in the way he's prepared himself for matches during a tour on which England lost the test series and is even at 2-2 in the one-dayers with one match to play.
