Kevin Pietersen has apologised for his online outburst after being dropped by England for the first time in his career.
The 30-year-old batsman announced Tuesday he had been left out of the Twenty20 and One-Day International squads for this month's series against Pakistan in a Twitter message that also included an expletive.
"It came out in a way I didn't want it to come out," Pietersen told Surrey TV on Wednesday.
"It wasn't meant for the public domain. I apologise for it entering the public domain and I also want to apologise for the language I used."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised Pietersen for the 'Tweet' that was quickly deleted.
"What he did on his Twitter account was totally wrong," Vaughan told BBC radio. "I think that's something Kevin will regret for a long time."
The England and Wales Cricket Board said they omitted Pietersen, a member of the Twenty20 World Cup-winning side this year and voted player of that tournament, so he could try to regain lost form in county cricket.
The right-hander hit 38 in 33 balls on his debut for new county Surrey in a 40-over match against Worcestershire on Wednesday.
