Pietersen ruled out of Ashes

It has been revealed that England star Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the rest of the Ashes summer after requiring surgery on his troublesome Achilles injury. Pietersen, who has averaged 38.25 in the first two Test Matches, will be out of action for at least 6 weeks, keeping him out of the remaining 3 test matches, and the two Twenty20 Internationals starting on the 30th of August.

Despite not hitting top form in the past couple of Test Matches, Pietersen remains England's premiere batsman, and will certainly be a big loss. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Bob Willis remarked that a big score was just around the corner. Asked whether Pietersen's form was what the fans should expect from a player of his ability, Willis replied: "No it's not, we expect him (Pietersen) to be scoring big hundreds in an Ashes series, and I have no doubt that a big score was just around the corner for him". Pietersen's record against Australia is up there with the best. He averages more than 50 with a highest score of 158, statistics that back up Bob Willis' claims that he was due a big score.

Without KP in the side, there will not be a repeat of his 2005 heroics at The Oval, in the Test Match that secured England's famous Ashes victory. Pietersen's mesmeric 158 lit up the crowd that day, and will remain in the memory of all England fans, whether present at the ground or merely watching on television. Those sorts of performances have become the norm for Pietersen, who averages just below 50 in Test Cricket. His hard-hitting, aggressive nature quickly made him a fans favourite, but while his form in Test Cricket has been remarkably consistent since making his debut back in 2005, his One-Day International form has dipped. With just one ODI hundred in the last 12 months, England supporters will be hoping that he comes back stronger than ever after this latest setback, and shows the kind of One-Day form that thrust him onto the World stage in South Africa, 5 years ago. His 3 hundreds in the series remain one of the greatest feats in English One-Day Cricket. Pietersen will be a key player during the ODI series later this summer, and a fit KP is a world-beater.

So who will replace him for the next 3 Test Matches? The obvious candidate is Ian Bell, and he is certainly the man getting all the mentions right now. Bell is averaging 80 in the County Championship this season, and this kind of form surely has to put him at the top of the list. Another name mentioned has been Robert Key. Kent's captain has also been scoring runs recently, and this could be Key's last chance to push for a place in the side. However with Bell's International experience and with age on his side, it would be somewhat of a surprise should he not be named in the XI come next Thursday. Bell's record against Australia is less than impressive, with an average of just over 25. His record at Edgbaston (the venue for the next Test) is even worse, averaging a run less. If Bell is to fill the shoes of Pietersen over the next few weeks, he will need to drastically improve on those statistics. He has been criticised in the past for not converting 40's and 50's into big hundreds, and if there was ever a time for him to hush those critics it is now.