CRICKET:EOIN MORGAN will fly out to Bangladesh to join the England World Cup party after the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday approved their request to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen with the former Ireland international.
Pietersen has been troubled with a hernia complaint but was expected to complete the tournament before undergoing surgery that would rule him out of his Indian Premier League contract with the Deccan Chargers.
The South African-born player flew home from Chennai after England’s stunning win over South Africa in Group B, with the rest of the squad flying to Chittagong for Friday’s game against the Tigers.
It forced England to ask for permission to draft left-hander Morgan back into the side, having previously replaced him with Ravi Bopara due to a broken finger picked up during the one-day series against Australia earlier in the year.
Morgan has responded well to treatment, however, and even if he is not deemed fit enough to face Bangladesh later this week, he would be a key addition to the squad for the knock-out stages should England qualify.
Pietersen has formed an opening partnership with England skipper Andrew Strauss, with Bopara a likely candidate to move up the order after his innings of 60 earned him the man of the match in the six-run victory over the Proteas.
Pietersen made just two in that match and appeared to labour in the field after bowling eight overs of off-spin.
Dubliner Morgan (24), has become recognised as England’s middle-order finisher since switching allegiances, with his ability to manoeuvre the ball around with an array of switch hits and deft deflections.
He has played in 38 One-Day Internationals for England, scoring 1,160 runs at an average of 40 and has already scored a century in Bangladesh.
