Matt Prior out of final Ashes warmup with injury
Sydney: Veteran wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been ruled out a four-day tour match starting Wednesday, ensuring England will have to wrap up its disrupted preparations for the Ashes series without one key player and with
Sydney: Veteran wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been ruled out a four-day tour match starting Wednesday, ensuring England will have to wrap up its disrupted preparations for the Ashes series without one key player and with concerns over star batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Prior was ruled out after medical scans Monday revealed a low-grade tear to the calf muscle he injured during last week's drawn tour match against Australia A in Hobart. He will be replaced by Jonny Bairstow for the match against a Cricket Australia Invitation XI -- England's final hit out before the five-test Ashes series starts Nov. 21 in Brisbane.
"Obviously very disappointed to be missing the game at SCG but doing everything possible to be ready for the 1st test," Prior said in a posting on Twitter.
Pietersen missed the match against Australia A with the recurrence of a right knee injury which kept him on the sidelines for three months earlier in the year. He was more confident of playing after a medical consultation in Melbourne on the weekend, before rejoining the squad in Sydney.
In an apparent attempt to sooth concerned England fans, Pietersen tweeted: "I AM FINE (hash)relax."
Senior England players remain confident Pietersen will be fit for the match in Sydney and that Prior will return for the first test.
Batsman Ian Bell said Prior had time to recover ahead of the Ashes series, and the tour match would give backup `keeper Johnny Bairstow some match practice in the gloves.
"It's disappointing ... Matt has been a key part of our success over the last few years and obviously we want him to get recovered as quick as possible," Bell said. "But there's still a bit of time. Matt has got himself in fantastic condition for this tour, so we've got every faith that he'll be fully fit for Brisbane."
Bell also said Pietersen was recovering "really well" and was a contender for the tour match.
"I don't know the XI," Bell said, "but I'd have thought he's definitely up for selection and would have thought he'll play."
Earlier Monday, Australia test batsmen Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja were released from the Invitational XI.
Cricket Australia said Callum Ferguson had been added to the invitational lineup due to his lack of opportunities to bat for Australia A in Hobart's rain-reduced tour match.
Hughes and Khawaja will return to their provincial teams for Sheffield Shield matches starting Wednesday. Khawaja was allowed to play for injury-depleted Queensland against New South Wales at the Gabba -- venue for the first Ashes test -- while Hughes was replaced by South Australia teammate Ferguson.
"In light of Callum's selection, Phil Hughes, who has played a lot of international cricket in recent months, will remain with South Australia for its next Shield match," Cricket Australia team performance manager Pat Howard said in a statement.
England is chasing a fourth consecutive Ashes series win for the first time in more than a century and goes into the series as favorite against a struggling Australian squad.
The Invitational XI has a strong batting lineup led by test opener Ed Cowan, but is weak in the bowling department.
Cricket Australia responded to England's requests for stronger pre-Ashes competition by upgrading the team from a New South Wales XI to an invitational lineup. But the bulk of the bowlers are still second-stringers from the New South Wales squad.
"In selecting the XI, we have tried to be flexible given the needs of particular states and individual players following the latest round of first-class matches across the country," Howard said.
England lost two full days of its game against Australia A due to rain and steady drizzle in Sydney forced the tourists indoors for practice on Monday.
More rain is forecast this week and Bell conceded England's preparation hadn't been like it was for the winning tour to Australia in 2010-11.
"We've got a lot of experience in the team that can cope with that," he said. "Everyone will be 100 per cent ready for Brisbane, no doubt."
Cricket Australia XI: Ed Cowan, Aaron Finch, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, Ben Rohrer, Ryan Carters, Peter Nevill, Stephen O'Keefe, Josh Lalor, Chris Tremain, Nic Bills.
Prior was ruled out after medical scans Monday revealed a low-grade tear to the calf muscle he injured during last week's drawn tour match against Australia A in Hobart. He will be replaced by Jonny Bairstow for the match against a Cricket Australia Invitation XI -- England's final hit out before the five-test Ashes series starts Nov. 21 in Brisbane.
"Obviously very disappointed to be missing the game at SCG but doing everything possible to be ready for the 1st test," Prior said in a posting on Twitter.
Pietersen missed the match against Australia A with the recurrence of a right knee injury which kept him on the sidelines for three months earlier in the year. He was more confident of playing after a medical consultation in Melbourne on the weekend, before rejoining the squad in Sydney.
In an apparent attempt to sooth concerned England fans, Pietersen tweeted: "I AM FINE (hash)relax."
Senior England players remain confident Pietersen will be fit for the match in Sydney and that Prior will return for the first test.
Batsman Ian Bell said Prior had time to recover ahead of the Ashes series, and the tour match would give backup `keeper Johnny Bairstow some match practice in the gloves.
"It's disappointing ... Matt has been a key part of our success over the last few years and obviously we want him to get recovered as quick as possible," Bell said. "But there's still a bit of time. Matt has got himself in fantastic condition for this tour, so we've got every faith that he'll be fully fit for Brisbane."
Bell also said Pietersen was recovering "really well" and was a contender for the tour match.
"I don't know the XI," Bell said, "but I'd have thought he's definitely up for selection and would have thought he'll play."
Earlier Monday, Australia test batsmen Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja were released from the Invitational XI.
Cricket Australia said Callum Ferguson had been added to the invitational lineup due to his lack of opportunities to bat for Australia A in Hobart's rain-reduced tour match.
Hughes and Khawaja will return to their provincial teams for Sheffield Shield matches starting Wednesday. Khawaja was allowed to play for injury-depleted Queensland against New South Wales at the Gabba -- venue for the first Ashes test -- while Hughes was replaced by South Australia teammate Ferguson.
"In light of Callum's selection, Phil Hughes, who has played a lot of international cricket in recent months, will remain with South Australia for its next Shield match," Cricket Australia team performance manager Pat Howard said in a statement.
England is chasing a fourth consecutive Ashes series win for the first time in more than a century and goes into the series as favorite against a struggling Australian squad.
The Invitational XI has a strong batting lineup led by test opener Ed Cowan, but is weak in the bowling department.
Cricket Australia responded to England's requests for stronger pre-Ashes competition by upgrading the team from a New South Wales XI to an invitational lineup. But the bulk of the bowlers are still second-stringers from the New South Wales squad.
"In selecting the XI, we have tried to be flexible given the needs of particular states and individual players following the latest round of first-class matches across the country," Howard said.
England lost two full days of its game against Australia A due to rain and steady drizzle in Sydney forced the tourists indoors for practice on Monday.
More rain is forecast this week and Bell conceded England's preparation hadn't been like it was for the winning tour to Australia in 2010-11.
"We've got a lot of experience in the team that can cope with that," he said. "Everyone will be 100 per cent ready for Brisbane, no doubt."
Cricket Australia XI: Ed Cowan, Aaron Finch, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, Ben Rohrer, Ryan Carters, Peter Nevill, Stephen O'Keefe, Josh Lalor, Chris Tremain, Nic Bills.