Pietersen's refusal to follow the team-first ethos that Strauss and Flower have been so determined to implement eventually proved too much for the selectors and even some of his teammates.
"It was agreed that a number of actions needed to be completed to re-engage Kevin within the England dressing room. A fundamental item was to confirm publicly that no derogatory texts had been sent by Kevin to the South African team. This has not been forthcoming," Hugh Morris, managing director of England Cricket, said.
"The success of the England team has been built on a unity of purpose and trust. Whilst we have made every attempt to find a solution to enable Kevin to be selected we have sadly had to conclude that, in the best interest of the team, he will miss the Lord's test."
For Pietersen - who responded to the decision by insisting he remains available for selection - to salvage his England career now, he will have to change the habit of a lifetime and bow down to authorities.
After leaving South Africa in protest against the quota selection system that he feared would kill his international career, Pietersen pursued a career in England.
He left Nottinghamshire, his first English county, under a cloud after threatening to sue for unfair dismissal, though they insisted he had not been sacked.
But Pietersen's ability to produce remarkable performances at the moment of maximum pressure ensured he became a key member of England's side.
He hit a century to help England regain the Ashes with a draw in the final test at The Oval in 2005 and by 2008 he had won enough admirers to earn the test and one-day captaincy.
But reports of a personality clash between Pietersen and coach Peter Moores surfaced in 2009 and he resigned soon after.
In May, Pietersen was fined by the ECB for criticising former England batsman Nick Knight on Twitter.
If that was a storm in a teacup, this controversy could prove far more damaging to Pietersen's legacy.
- AAP
