adminLONDON – England stand-in skipper Eoin Morgan is backing Kevin Pietersen to help turn around his side’s fortunes in the second Twenty20 international against New Zealand. Two days after losing the Champions Trophy final to India, England were back in action at the Oval on Tuesday in the first of two matches, falling five runs short of New Zealand’s imposing total of 201 for four.
Pietersen is expected to return to the England team for the first time since March, when he was forced out of the tour of New Zealand with a knee injury.
He returned to the crease for Surrey on Sunday, hitting an unbeaten 177 against Yorkshire in the Country Championship, and is expected to be available for the second Twenty20 match on Thursday, also at the Oval. “Kevin is a huge part of English cricket and has been for a long time,” Morgan, captain in place of the rested Stuart Broad, told the England and Wales Cricket Board website (www.ecb.co.uk).
“What he brings to the table, probably very few people at the world can.
“He can take the game away from you at any stage and we saw during the week the way he performed.
“He takes a lot of pride in when he goes out there and bats. He looks in good form.
“It’s a very relaxed environment that we have going on at the moment and hopefully he’ll come in and do well.”
Pietersen’s return will also give England a boost ahead of the Ashes series against Australia, starting at Trent Bridge on July 10.
Australia, who sacked their coach Mickey Arthur on Monday and failed to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals, start the first of two tour matches against Somerset on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, English county side Kent have confirmed the signing of Proteas fast bowler Vernon Philander on a short-term deal.
According to the Sky Sports website, Philander will represent the division two strugglers over the next month before joining Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League, which begins on July 30.
The 28-year-old, who has taken 89 wickets at an average of 17.13 in 16 Tests, is available to play all forms of cricket for the county.
Kent chairperson Graham Johnson is delighted to have the South African star at the Spitfire Ground, even if only for a short spell.
Elsewhere, Former Test fast bowler Paul Reiffel has been promoted to the International Cricket Council’s elite panel of umpires after five seasons among the second-tier group of match officials.
Cricket Australia yesterday said Reiffel, who played 37 Tests and 92 limited-overs internationals for Australia from 1992 to 1999, joined the ICC’s international panel of umpires for the 2008/9 season and his progression since then led to his elevation to the elite 12-man panel.
The 47-year-old Reiffel says “my aim was to reach the highest level of international umpiring … it always seemed a long way off so it’s very rewarding and exciting to achieve the goal I set myself when I first started umpiring.”-Sport24
Online Reporter