KP out of Ashes
England’s hopes of winning the 2009 nPower Ashes test match series have been dealt a severe blow with the news that batsman Kevin Pietersen will miss the last three matches after having surgery on his Achilles tendon injury.
Pietersen had played in the second test despite much discomfort from the injury, but had to wait for specialist diagnosis before undergoing the surgery.
“Following a consultation, involving scans and testing, with the world’s leading Achilles specialist Kevin Pietersen today underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon, Kevin will look to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation program to ensure there is no risk of recurrence. This is expected to be approximately six weeks,” the England and Wales Cricket Board’s chief medical officer Nick Peirce said in a statement.
The player says he is ‘devastated to be missing the rest of this series’ as the Ashes are the pinnacle of International cricket. Ian Bell is favourite to replace Pietersen whose cavalier approach at the crease will be sorely missed by the England team.
1 comment so far
1 jon williams // Jul 23, 2009 at 12:37 am
Pietersen’s absence is a big shame, not just for England, but the fans’ enjoyment as his approach brings an extra edge of excitement to the game.
It shows how unfair and glib the English media were being when they criticised Pietersen over the manner of his dismissal in the first innings of the first test (just four innings ago); he top-scored but copped a lot of flak for the manner of his dismissal. That it has now emerged his injury was behind what was ultimately just a bit of a flakey shot in that innings, should make those so eager to shoot him down for that (despite his being the top scorer) embarrassed. He has been increasingly hampered in his last games for England but whatever his being England’s best batsmen, the media were all too eager to have a pop when he only scored 70 in the first innings at Cardiff.
In fact, the English media having a go at Pietersen was a case of them committing the cardinal sin of sledging someone fully behind the English cause, and one our best hopes if we wanted to win the Ashes. In doing that, the English media were performing the Aussies’ job for them! The English media should remember whose side they are on: it is not their job to do Ponting’s work for him and try and undermine one of our best players. Congratulations the English media for being so small-minded (…and for being so typically English in this, just look at the flak they give our football team whenever the media’s over-high expectations are not met…).
Come back fit KP – and just block out the blinkered thinking of the critics: it’s how you became England’s best batsman in the first place.