CRICKET: England's embattled one-day squad lost their most swashbuckling batsman yesterday when Kevin Pietersen was withdrawn from the Pakistan tour because of a rib injury. His departure follows that of Michael Vaughan and Ashley Giles and further weakens the squad ahead of tomorrow's third one-day international here.
The loss of Pietersen is a considerable blow to England as they seek to follow their Test series defeat with the solace of victory in the one-day tournament. It was a relief yesterday to discover that England had back-tracked on their initial plan to give Pietersen a cortisone injection to help him through the last three games of a pretty meaningless series, and to prioritise instead his full recovery in time for a Test series in India beginning on March 1st.
If Pietersen really is a genius, as Vaughan contends, then he deserves protection, even if the loss of a middle-order batsman with a one-day average of 68 leaves England vulnerable. Vikram Solanki should now be assured of a starting place, with Ian Bell also in contention.
Duncan Fletcher, England's coach, had suggested after Pakistan's win in Lahore on Monday, which levelled the series 1-1, that X-rays had revealed "no problem" and that a cortisone injection and 48 hours' rest would allow the situation to be reassessed in Karachi.
That diagnosis changed markedly yesterday morning as Pietersen awoke in discomfort. Peter Gregory, England's travelling chief medical officer, said: "Kevin aggravated a previous rib problem during practice and the first two one-day internationals. He is returning home to the UK. Scans taken after the first one-day match showed no fracture but they demonstrated a stress lesion and, despite passing a fitness test ahead of the second one-day match, Kevin suffered intolerable pain throughout. The injury is likely to require four to six weeks rest but it is expected that he will make a full recovery in time for the tour to India."
Pietersen's innings in Lahorehinted at desperation. He struggled in the field, throwing the ball in underarm. He had gone into the match with the rib injury which, strictly speaking, meant that England should not have been allowed a substitute, but he pleaded back spasms after 34 overs and was replaced.
In less than a year, Pietersen has become indispensable to England's one-day side. He starred in his native South Africa last winter, scoring three hundreds in defiance of abuse from South African crowds and suspicions in England about his change of allegiance.
He has been desperate to prove his commitment to England ever since and was named one-day player of the year at the ICC awards in Sydney. When the compere, Mark Nicholas, asked him what it was like to go home to South Africa, he shrewdly responded, to roars of approval from the audience: "I went back to South Africa but I did not go home."
