The England selectors, having expected one of their more straightforward meetings ahead of next week's first Test against South Africa, were confronted on Friday by the tantalising but delicate possibility that Kevin Pietersen may be ready to reconsider his retirement from one-day international cricket. That would allow Pietersen's inclusion in the 30-man squad for England's defence of the World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka this autumn that must be submitted to the International Cricket Council on Tuesday.

"I've said before that, if the schedule was right, if they could sort my schedule out, I would love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket," Pietersen said on Friday night. "But the schedule at the moment is a nightmare. I hope something can be sorted out."

Asked if talks with the ECB about his limited overs future had begun, he replied: "I think so."

It is only six weeks since England announced that Pietersen was no longer prepared to play 50-over cricket and had therefore also ruled himself out of T20 internationals under the terms of his central contract. The team could hardly have coped better without him, with Ian Bell moving up the order to replace Pietersen as Alastair Cook's opening partner and making key contributions to 2-0 and 4-0 series wins against West Indies and Australia respectively, and Alex Hales excelling in a single T20 game against West Indies.

However, Pietersen added: "I've always said I want to play in Twenty20. But I needed to get away from the schedule. I cannot keep playing every single day's cricket. I've never been looked after. I cannot keep playing every warm-up game, I cannot keep practising every single day. There comes a time when I know what I need to do to be successful. I've got a young family and I cannot be on the treadmill all day, every day."

Pietersen would be an automatic selection in both forms were he still available, with his form for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League confirming him as one of the world's outstanding T20 batsmen. The problem for him and the England management would seem to be finding a suitable compromise, which proved impossible during a series of conversations with the team director Andy Flower.

Pietersen would have to make himself available again for 50-over matches, starting with the three-match series against South Africa next month and probably going through until the 2015 World Cup in Australia. England may respond by confirming he would not have to play in all future one-day series – although that would not represent any change of policy, as Flower had planned to give Pietersen a break during the last month, under the same rotation system through which Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan have been used sparingly.

The break would seem to have done him good on the evidence of the eight sixes and 30 fours he clobbered to finish day three of Surrey's County Championship game against Lancashire at Guildford on Friday, which is likely to be Pietersen's only first-class innings before the start of the South Africa series, on 234 not out from 190 balls.

Andrew Strauss, who has played even less cricket than Pietersen since the end of the West Indies Test series on 11 June, should also head for The Oval in good spirits after a battling 50 in the first innings of Middlesex's game against Nottinghamshire at Uxbridge with a century.

Flower has confirmed that England were settled on their first Test plans before the selectors convened, suggesting that Ravi Bopara will replace Jonny Bairstow in a 13-man squad, leaving the management to choose between Tim Bresnan, Graham Onions and Steve Finn.

Following the loss of wicketkeeper Mark Boucher a second member of the South African tour party has gone home. The fast bowler Marchant de Lange, who has a back injury, is replaced by Albie Morkel, who has been playing Twenty20 cricket for Somerset but now joins his younger brother Morne in the squad.

Probable England squad (for first Test v South Africa, The Oval, Thursday): Strauss (capt), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bopara, Prior (wkt), Bresnan, Broad, Swann, Finn, Anderson.