England batsman Kevin Pietersen looks poised to play in the third Ashes test against Australia at Old Trafford from Thursday after recovering from a calf injury.
|Last Updated: Jul 31, 2013, 08:42 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Manchester: England batsman Kevin Pietersen looks poised to play in the third Ashes test against Australia at Old Trafford from Thursday after recovering from a calf injury.
Pietersen has been struggling since the second test at Lord`s but batted in the indoor nets for almost an hour on Wednesday and then had a short fitness test on the soggy outfield, with strapping filled with a liquid visible on his leg.
"Pretty good," captain Alastair Cook told a news conference when asked about the chances of Pietersen playing.
"He has gone through training the last two days and done everything we asked of him. Fingers crossed."
England will wait to see how their most explosive batsman reacts to the fitness test before naming their team at the toss on Thursday, with good weather forecast despite Wednesday`s rain in famously wet Manchester.
James Taylor, who has two caps and scored an unbeaten century against Australia playing as a ringer for Sussex in last week`s tour match, has been included in the squad in case Pietersen is ruled out.
England lead the five-match series 2-0 and will retain the Ashes with a win or a draw.
Pietersen barely contributed in the first two tests yet England still edged the tourists by 14 runs at Trent Bridge before humiliating Michael Clarke`s men by 347 runs at Lord`s to inflict a sixth straight test loss on Australia.
Nevertheless, Cook is staying wary and not even contemplating a 5-0 whitewash.
"It`s very dangerous to start thinking like that. We are a very good side when we take each game as it comes," said the opener, who has tall pace bowler Chris Tremlett back in the squad after a long injury layoff.
"It`s great for us as a squad that he is back. He has worked incredibly hard. It`s great for competition for places; it gives you another dimension."
Tremlett is bidding to unseat third paceman Tim Bresnan but most pundits expect the latter to stay in an unchanged side from Lord`s even though the Old Trafford wicket offers more bounce.
Australia`s lineup is much more uncertain with aggressive batsman David Warner hoping to play after scoring a century for Australia A against South Africa A following his banishment for punching England`s Joe Root in a bar in June.
Number six Steve Smith missed training on Tuesday with a sore back and could make way although Phil Hughes has been the focus of debate in Australian media aghast at the prospect of losing a third straight Ashes series after previous dominance.
Captain Clarke, no longer a selector in the upheaval following Mickey Arthur`s sacking as coach and Darren Lehmann`s appointment just before the series, had no clue about the XI.
"The team has not been given to me at this stage. The selectors want to look at the wicket today to see if it`s changed," Clarke said before being asked about Warner.
"I don`t think it`s about one individual player. It is going to take the whole squad...for us to win this series. Our backs are against the wall there`s no doubt about it. We are going to have to be at our best.
"I honestly believe we can win this series. I know there`s a lot of people who will laugh at me saying that but I wouldn`t be here today if I thought this team wasn`t good enough to have success. If I didn`t think I could get the best out of the players I certainly wouldn`t be captain of this team."
Spinner Nathan Lyon is widely expected to replace 19-year-old Ashton Agar, who has struggled with the ball in his first two tests despite scoring 98 as number 11 at Trent Bridge.
Reuters
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.