Pietersen on South Africa radar

London, Aug 22 (IANS) Discarded England batsman Kevin Pietersen is being targeted by South Africa to raise the profile of their domestic Twenty20 competition, Ram Slam Challenge, this winter.

Former South African captain Graeme Smith, who is the tournament director of the Ram Slam Challenge, is trying to rope in Pietersen for one of the six franchises to raise the profile of the tournament, reports The Guardian.

Pietersen returned from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Wednesday where he represented St Lucia Zouks. The South African-born batsman is now preparing for Surrey’s NatWest Blast final. 

The former England captain has already signed for Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash League which runs Dec 18-Jan 28, and has some television commitments as part of that deal, the daily reported.

The Ram Slam tournament, which will be held Nov 2-Dec 12, has struggled to attract major signings in recent years. West Indies' opening batsman Chris Gayle was recruited by the Durban franchise Dolphins last year, but he failed to make a single appearance due to injury.