Kevin Pietersen's Race To Beat South Africa
7th October, 2009
England cricket captain, Andrew Strauss, is confident that Kevin Pietersen will compete against South Africa in their upcoming winter tour.
Pietersen will be hoping he will be placed in the squad for the November tour, which will be announced on Thursday.
The batsman who was born in South Africa is currently recovering from an Achilles tendon injury and is racing to be fit in time.
Strauss told BBC Radio 4: "He is getting better quite quickly now so we are very hopeful he will make the trip.” "Hopefully he will play in some one-dayers and then a full part in the rest of the series. It's, great news for us, we have sorely missed him," he added. "The sooner he is back the better."
The injury first occurred back in March when England played against the West Indies. Pietersen was desperate to compete against the Australians in the Ashes this summer.
The Hampshire man was trying to avoid surgery and was carrying the injury until July. However, after the first two test matches against Australia he was forced to have an operation that forced him out of the rest of the series.
England head into the series against the Springbok in good form, as they recently recaptured the Ashes from Australia and reached the semi-finals in the ICC Champions Trophy.
The Three Lions will be aware that many challenges lie ahead, as South Africa are rated as the best team in the world. Additionally, they are ranked at number three in the one-day rankings.
To win the South Africa vs. England series. South Africa is 8/15 with Coral and Ladbrokes while England is 4/1 with various bookmakers. The draw is 4/1 with Bet 365.
By Dane
