Kevin Pietersen has claimed that England one-day international captain Eoin Morgan would "love" to have him in his World Cup squad.

Pietersen, 34, was sacked by the England hierarchy following the team's disastrous tour of Australia last winter.

The batsman has repeatedly insisted that he wants a return to the national setup, but it looks increasingly unlikely that he will be recalled.

However, Pietersen believes that Morgan would jump at the chance to include him in the ODI squad for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

"I know that the current captain would love to have me in the England team," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "Who knows? I don't see why not. I'm hitting it okay and I get on pretty well with most of the guys in there, if not all of them.

"I honestly believe that I'm batting as well as I've ever batted at the moment. I've got over my knee injury which is huge. I want to play for England; if I get the opportunity to play for England I will."

Pietersen has made 136 ODI appearances for England, scoring nearly 4,500 runs.