"After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket," said Pietersen, whose decision comes just four months ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka where England is the defending champions.
"With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015.
The terms of England players' central contract state that any cricketer making himself unavailable for either of the one-day formats automatically rules himself out of consideration for both formats of the game. Pietersen said this means he would have to say goodbye to T20s as well.
"I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, but still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket.
"For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20," he added.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made the announcement in a statement but said it was disappointed with the timing of Pietersen's decision. MORE