KEVIN Pietersen began the healing process following his acrimonious departure as England captain with the first hundred of the Caribbean tour.

Pietersen struck a rapid 103, and Owais Shah also reached three figures, against a St Kitts & Nevis XI on the first day of an unofficial practice match at Warner Park.

Although he later revealed some lingering bitterness over his New Year demise, Pietersen was evidently pleased to allow his batting rather than off-field actions to draw attention.

‘‘What happened to me for a couple of weeks really, really hurt me,’’ said Pietersen, who was persuaded to resign after calling for former coach Peter Moores to be removed.

‘‘I have just got to really and truly get back to doing what I love.

‘‘And when I cross over the white line, that is what I love.

‘‘I love training, I love batting and I love scoring runs for England.

‘‘It has been difficult but I am OK now; I would like a few questions answered first for everything to be gone but time is healing.’’ Pietersen has maintained he pushed for Moores’ removal only after being asked for his blueprint for the England team by his bosses.

‘‘I suppose it was frustrating because I did everything by the book, everything that I was supposed to do,’’ said Pietersen.

‘‘But it is done and dusted.

I just wanted to get back playing cricket, back into the dressing room with the lads and there is no better place to do that than in the Caribbean.

‘‘So today makes it worthwhile.

To get back playing cricket is something I wanted to do and to get a hundred after everything that has happened is pretty satisfying.’’ It was the perfect way to return to the ranks after just three Tests in charge of England.

‘‘I knew it was never going to be a problem,’’ Pietersen said.

‘‘The media created a storm, not me.

‘‘I loved doing the job, absolutely loved it, and I thought we were going to go in the right direction.

‘‘Unfortunately that was taken away from me and I am a great believer in what is meant to be is meant to be.’’ Pietersen’s successor Andrew Strauss is effectively in charge of the tour, given that there is no coach in office, and has asked for his colleagues to take more responsibility for performance.

Such a scenario is something like Pietersen’s vision for the future when quizzed by his England and Wales Cricket Board bosses over Christmas.

‘‘That is probably one of my frustrations, yeah – what I wanted, he’s got,’’ said Pietersen, of Strauss’ captaincy.

But at the end of the day, I am not in charge, I am enjoying it and scoring a hundred is what turns me on, so that’s good.’’ Strauss fell for nought, to the second ball of the match, but his new unofficial righthand man Alastair Cook contributed a half-century as England began preparations for the four-Test series.

■ Andrew Flintoff has been withdrawn from England’s practice match against a St Kitts & Nevis XI after experiencing discomfort in his left side.

Flintoff, 31, will play no further part in the three-day game at Warner Park as a precaution due to the niggle.

He first experienced a problem bowling in the nets and, after batting on the opening day, was being examined by medical staff, who will decide whether a scan is necessary.

England captain Andrew Strauss opted to make the unofficial contest an 11-a-side affair in order to simulate match conditions but the tourists could yet ask their opponents for permission to replace Flintoff.

The only other warm-up contest before the first Test in Jamaica gets under way on February 4 is a first-class fixture against West Indies A starting on Thursday.

■ Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif has blamed his positive drugs test in the Indian Premier League on eye drops prescribed for an inflammatory condition.

Asif was found to have used the banned substance nandrolone during the inaugural edition of the IPL in May last year.

He was summoned before a drugs panel where he revealed the eye drops had raised the levels of nandrolone in his system.

The 26-year-old was banned from all forms of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board immediately after the adverse test was made public.