Injured Pietersen had 4 injections to take to field

London: It took four injections to make Kevin Pietersen match fit for the second Ashes Test but the maverick England batsman fears the agonising Achilles injury might eventually ruin his summer.

In the two Tests so far, Pietersen has not been the free-flowing stroke-maker he is known as. He took a second cortisone injection in his spine before the Cardiff Test and two into his right heel.

Pietersen said the injury, which he sustained in the West Indies in April, has become both a mental and physical distraction for him.

"To be honest it plays on my mind all day and every day. People who have had injuries know that it definitely does affect the way they play. It doesn`t really affect my stroke play but running between wickets and diving around is problematic," Pietersen was quoted as saying.

"This is the first injury I have had and mentally, they really do get to you. I`ve had two injections into my back – a perineural and an epidural. And I`ve had a cortisone and a homeopathic injection into my Achilles," he said.

Asked if it meant a possible breakdown during the ongoing Ashes series, Pietersen said, "We`re not talking about anything in the future, we`re just managing it right now. We are treating it on a day-to-day basis just to get me out on to the pitch. It`s incredibly frustrating."

"I`m not ruling anything out in terms of the rest of the series. What I will say is I am doing everything I can to get myself right. I`ll do anything I can do to play," he said.

The injury also allowed him to sympathise Andrew Flintoff, who will quit Test cricket after the Ashes.

"Since 2005, Fred`s had two years of rehab. I`ve only had two or three months of it and it really, really gets you down in the dumps. I`ve been fortunate to have been able to carry on playing through it and playing in an amazing series," he said.

"It must have been very frustrating - so fair play to the guy. He`s back and he`s firing and bowling as quick as anybody in the world. He bowled with some serious heat on Friday and reminded us what we`ll be missing. It`ll be sad not to see him in Tests again after this series. He`s been fantastic for England," Pietersen added.

Bureau Report