Ashes injury fear for Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen will do everything he can to remain fit for the Ashes series but has admitted that his Achilles injury could flare up at any time.

Pietersen was ruled out of the one-day series against West Indies after suffering a recurrence of the problem he first picked up on tour in the Caribbean before returning to the side for the ICC World Twenty20 warm-ups. However, after coming through those two games unscathed he had to pull out of the opening match against the Netherlands after waking up in pain.

It raised questions about Pietersen's fitness for the Ashes and although he has since returned to action in the Twenty20, the injury needs to be closely monitored. "I'm taking the best medical advice and I'm doing everything I can to face Australia but, occasionally, Achilles injuries do flare up," he told the News of the World. "If that happens on the morning of a Test then I wouldn't be able to take part."

The condition has been linked to a nerve problem in Pietersen's back and he has recently had a cortisone injection to try and alleviate the symptoms, but there is a limit to how many jabs he can have and can only undergo one more.

"I can promise you I am doing everything in my power to make sure I am okay," he said. "I've got one more injection I can have before I'm not allowed any more. That would be a cortisone epidural into the spinal cord.

"The Achilles injury is a nerve problem related to the back but since I had the injection last Friday I have been fine. There is still pain in the heel but I'm doing the right thing to try to eliminate as much pain as I can.

"In order to fix an Achilles injury like this properly I probably do need two or three months out of the game. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. I'm a man who wants to play every game for England and as much as I can. As long as I can walk I will play."

Tim Nielsen, Australia's coach, said he couldn't imagine England risking Pietersen ahead of the Ashes. "But in the same breath the Twenty20 is an icon event, so it's not the time to be putting players in cotton wool," Nielsen told the Sydney Morning Herald. "You're either playing them flat out or you're not playing them."

While concerns remain over Pietersen, England received a boost this week with the return to action of Andrew Flintoff. He made his comeback for Lancashire against Durham and bowled impressively to take six wickets although failed twice with the bat making just 3 and 0.