LONDON — Shunned England batsman Kevin Pietersen has a calf injury and will not fly to India to play in the IPL as he had planned, British media reported Wednesday. Having been told by new England cricket director Andrew Strauss Monday that he would not be selected for this summer's Test matches, Pietersen was due to take up his contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
But he sustained an injury playing for Surrey against Leicestershire in the county championship, a match in which he completed a career-best 355 not out Tuesday, and will be out of action for two weeks. The IPL concludes on May 24.
Pietersen, 34, was incensed by Strauss's decision having been told in March by incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves that if he scored runs in county cricket he would be considered for a recall to the test team.
He was sacked in February, 2014 after accusations of being disengaged from the team during the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia and later published a controversial autobiography which further reduced his chances of an international return.
England starts the first Test of a two-match series against New Zealand next Thursday.
CA to probe Hughes death Cricket Australia has commissioned an independent review into the cause and circumstances of last year's death of Test batsman Phillips Hughes in a bid to prevent anything similar happening in the future.
Australia was engulfed in a wave of mourning after Hughes, 25, died from catastrophic injuries on Nov. 27 last year, two days after he was struck in the neck by a ball during a domestic Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The review, which will be chaired by senior lawyer David Curtain, will have a wide brief to make recommendations on the safety of matches organized by Cricket Australia, including on the design and mandatory use of helmets to prevent injuries.
“When this tragedy happened, I said that it was a freak accident, but it was one freak accident too many,” Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland said in a statement.
“This is not an exercise designed to apportion blame on any individual for what took place. It is about making sure that as a sport we are doing everything in our power to prevent an accident of this nature happening again.”
In addition to looking at protective equipment, it will assess the level of medical support on hand during matches, the medical screening of contracted players and Cricket Australia's approach to players who suffer head and heart injuries.
The review will not look at the rules of the cricket except where they pertain to the issues of protective equipment and the management of players who suffer head or heart injuries.
Lyth in England squad
Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth is poised to make his debut after being named Thursday in a 12-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's that starts on May 21.
Lyth is set to partner captain Alastair Cook at the top of the order after Jonathan Trott announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect following a disappointing recent tour of the West Indies.
Durham pace bowler Mark Wood, who made his one-day debut against Ireland last week, is the only other uncapped Test player included in the squad.
England assistant coach Paul Farbrace has been put in charge after Peter Moores was sacked Saturday by new director of cricket Andrew Strauss.
Squad: Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Adam Lyth, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood.
CA to probe Hughes death
Cricket Australia has commissioned an independent review into the cause and circumstances of last year's death of Test batsman Phillips Hughes in a bid to prevent anything similar happening in the future.
Australia was engulfed in a wave of mourning after Hughes, 25, died from catastrophic injuries on Nov. 27 last year, two days after he was struck in the neck by a ball during a domestic Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The review, which will be chaired by senior lawyer David Curtain, will have a wide brief to make recommendations on the safety of matches organized by Cricket Australia, including on the design and mandatory use of helmets to prevent injuries. — Agencies
