England batsman Kevin Pietersen will not take to the field for the rest of the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's because of injury.
Pietersen had a scan on Saturday which revealed he has a left calf strain.
England will continue to monitor the 33-year-old's fitness ahead of the third Test, which starts on 1 August.
The home side ended the third day at Lord's with a commanding lead of 566 as they aim to open up a 2-0 advantage in the five-Test series.
Pietersen suffered the injury while fielding in Australia's first innings on Friday and looked uncomfortable when he went out to bat later in the day.
He made only five runs before reaching away from his body and slapping bowler Peter Siddle to point.
It is only Pietersen's second Test since recovering from a knee problem that forced him to return early from the New Zealand tour in March.
Should he be ruled out of the third Test at Old Trafford, Nick Compton could be recalled.
The Somerset opener, 30, scored back-to-back fifties in the warm-up games against the tourists after being dropped from the Test side following a poor series at home to the Kiwis.
But now, for the second home Ashes in succession, Pietersen's availability is in doubt due to injury. He missed the final three Tests of the 2009 series with an Achilles problem.
There was better news of Eoin Morgan, who broke a finger in the Champions Trophy. He has received the all-clear from England's medical staff and is now expected to return to action for Middlesex imminently. It had been feared Morgan would be out for a far longer period.
In a clear sign that he remains of interest to the England selectors in all formats, Morgan, who holds a central contract, trained with the Test squad at Lord's and faced some throw-downs from the coaching team.
No comments:
Post a Comment