England's delay over announcement of touring squad for India leaves the door open for Kevin Pietersen Flower leaves for Sri Lanka this morning along with the England squad for the start of their defence of the World Twenty20 title and has to weigh up the long-term implication of picking or ignoring Pietersen. The delay suggests anymore meetings involving Pietersen will be held with Morris and Cook, who is not part of the Twenty20 squad. Flower had become exasperated with Pietersen this summer to the point of closing the book on him but Cook may have realised his captaincy will be judged on Test match wins and having Pietersen in the squad increases England's chances in India. "There are some important decisions to be made there by Andy [Flower] and Alastair [Cook] and the selectors but they will do what's right for English cricket and that's the main thing," said Strauss yesterday. The dressing room has always been a very tight-knit unit; it has always been a fundamental part of what's made us be a good side. A very close togetherness, a feeling of united purpose and that will continue. There are further conversations that need to be had before we know whether Kevin is going to be a part of that or not. Pietersen will also become a free agent on Oct 1 after the ECB withheld a central contract offer. He will be clear to play in the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament in Australia over Christmas and the New Year and a full season in the Indian Premier League, netting himself in the process more than £1.5 million. Pietersen will not be short of other offers and will want an indication from the ECB what his international future holds beyond the tour of India. Without Pietersen and Strauss, England's middle order relies heavily on the captain, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell. Eoin Morgan looks certain to make the tour but had problems with spin against Pakistan earlier this year while Jonny Bairstow and James Taylor have not played a Test overseas. Joe Root appears likely to be the reserve opener but the delay in announcing the squad has allowed the final round of championship matches to finish and players to stake a late claim. Root scored nought and 2 for Yorkshire while Nick Compton, English cricket's leading run scorer this season, scored a century for Somerset yesterday on his return from injury. Pietersen is not the only player with issues. Problems in Ravi Bopara's private life have already forced him to pull out of one Test squad this summer and his form since his return has been woeful. A focussed and in-form Bopara would take Pietersen's place and provide England with a dash of experience in the middle order, as well as some useful medium pace. On his first tour as the official Test captain, Cook will want men he can trust. He is close to Bopara and stuck by him during the one-day series against South Africa despite his lack of runs. But England have experience of selecting players with personal problems in the past only for it to backfire. It was on a tour to India 10 years ago that Graham Thorpe returned home on the eve of a Test match to try and patch up his marriage. England also have to consider the fact that Ian Bell may return home during the tour to attend the birth of his first child. The due date is Nov 27, the final day of the second Test in Mumbai, and Bell has indicated he wants to be present at the birth.