England, July 23: England’s second worst fear has been confirmed. Kevin Pietersen underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon yesterday and, with an expected recovery time of six weeks, he will miss the rest of the Ashes series.
But speaking exclusively to The Independent yesterday, Andrew Flintoff underlined his own commitment and desire to be there until the end at The Oval despite the ongoing pain in his knee, suggesting he will play through injury even if it has an adverse effect on his long-term fitness after the curtain comes down on his Test career.
Nonetheless, Flintoff admitted that the news from Pietersen is a huge blow to England. “It is a big miss for us and it would be lying to say it isn’t, but we’re just going to have to get on with it,” Flintoff said. “He’s our best player who has performed well in the Ashes before and looked as though he was getting into some form. But he has been struggling for the past two weeks – it’s the best thing for him to get his injury sorted and come back as quick as he can.”
–Agencies