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Huge boost for KP and England
Cricket, 10:52, June 26, 2009 ,
Kevin Pietersen has given the England selectors a boost with the news that his Achilles is responding well and he is pain free.
The 28-year-old picked up the problem on the winter tour to the West Indies and was forced to miss the recent one-day series with Chris Gayle's men.
However, the Hampshire man returned for the World Twenty20 and played some telling knocks as the rest of the England batsmen struggled to put together any meaningful scores.
Reports suggested that the former England captain was rated as doubtful for the early part of the upcoming Ashes series, with some pundits suggesting that he may play no part at all.
However, after intensive rehabilitation, the South African-born star is feeling confident that he will be able to line up against Ricky Ponting's side at Cardiff on July 8 for the first of five matches in the battle for the famous little urn.
"My Achilles is okay," he said. "I have tried to make sure that I won't go into the Ashes series injured.
"I have seen too many players going into big series injured and come out the other end worse.
"You don't want to go into the series injured, especially against Australia.
"I've made sure my rehab programme has been done really well. I have been as professional as I can be on this programme.
"I am doing everything I can pain-free. The only thing I haven't been able to do is road run and that is something we will talk about in the next few days."