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| January 14, 2007 | Sunday | Zilhaj 23, 1427 |
Bopara called up to replace Pietersen
SYDNEY, Jan 13: Uncapped Essex batsman Ravi Bopara has been called into the England one-day squad in Australia as a replacement for the injured Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen was ruled out of the rest of the tri-series after breaking a rib in England's eight-wicket loss to Australia in Melbourne on Friday.
Pietersen top scored for England with 82 but came to grief when he charged down the wicket to Australian paceman Glenn McGrath and was struck on the chest with a sharply rising bouncer.
The South African-born Pietersen had been dismissed by McGrath in the last Ashes test when he used the same tactic and received little sympathy from his opponents after trying it again in Melbourne.
“When you walk down the wicket to a fast bowler I suppose you are asking to be bounced,” Australian captain Ricky Ponting told reporters.
Pietersen will return home in the next few days with Irish batsman Ed Joyce likely to take his place in the starting line-up and 21-year-old Bopara joining the squad after training in Australia with the England Academy.
“Ravi has been brought in because he is a middle order batsman who impressed in his time with the Academy in Perth earlier in the winter,” England chairman of selectors David Graveney said in a statement.
“He has also been a regular with Essex during their one-day successes in recent years and we decided that he was the best option available.
“We are happy with the top order of Strauss, Vaughan and Bell and we also see the injury to Kevin Pietersen, while unfortunate, as offering a great chance for Ed Joyce to stake his claim for a place in the ICC World Cup.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said Pietersen's absence from the tri-series.
“It's disappointing in a weird way, a sad way because the majority of the team liked watching him bat,” Fleming told reporters on Saturday.
“It would have been different playing against him and it's obviously a huge blow for the tournament and England.”
The round robin phase of the tournament is widely seen as a question of who will play Australia in the three-match finals next month, and Fleming insisted England were still in the running despite their eight-wicket defeat to the hosts on Friday.
“We're not coming off startling form either. We're not exactly brimming with confidence, but we've got a good understanding of our one-day game.
New Zealand drew their one-day series with Sri Lanka last month, but were skittled for just 73 in the fourth match after the visitors had posted 262 for six.
Fleming believed that after a demoralising tour of Australia which saw England routed 5-0 in the Ashes series, Michael Vaughan's one-day side would relish the challenge of facing new foes in New Zealand.
“If you get a new challenge it's often a breath of fresh air to get your teeth stuck into a new group of players and new coloured uniforms,” he said.”
“We expect that they'll be desperately looking forward to this and showing to the English public that they're been up against a good side. If they beat us things won't be as bad for them.”
New Zealand play their opening match of the series against Australia in Hobart on Sunday before taking on England at the same ground on Tuesday.—Reuters
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