Having just recovered from a bruised knee which kept him out for two months, Pietersen felt his left calf stiffening while fielding in Australia's first innings at Lord's, the problem worsening to the point where he did not field in their second innings.
Kevin Pietersen is expected to be fit for next week's third Investec Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford following the calf injury he sustained at Lord's. England's best all-round batsman has been injury prone these past few years, which is why James Taylor will almost certainly be announced as cover in the squad when it is revealed on Sunday morning.
Having just recovered from a bruised knee which kept him out for two months, Pietersen felt his left calf stiffening while fielding in Australia's first innings at Lord's, the problem worsening to the point where he did not field in their second innings.
England won by 347 runs to go 2-0 up in the series. There was always reason for optimism because of the 10-day gap between Tests, and the selectors will almost certainly give Pietersen until Wednesday morning, the day before the Test begins, to declare himself fit. He will be eager to play as Old Trafford has not been a fecund venue for him. With a Test average of 33 in five Tests there and a top score of 68, it is a blot on his otherwise excellent CV. If he is to emulate Graham Gooch, England's batting coach, who scored hundreds at every home Test venue, he needs to make one there and another in the next match at Emirates Durham International.
Taylor, 23, played twice for England against South Africa last year, including the Test at Headingley-Carnegie where the fractious relationship between Pietersen and his team-mates first became public. Taylor's tally of 48 runs in three innings was no disgrace but he was dropped after his diminutive stature (he says he is 5ft 6in) meant he was subjugated too readily by South Africa's bowlers.
Having been overlooked for the winter tours to India and New Zealand, in which Nick Compton and Joe Root laid down bold markers, Taylor has returned this year a more robust player and is enjoying a fine second season for Nottinghamshire. He has made 857 first-class runs at an average of 53.56 with two hundreds including 204 against Sussex, the team he now guests for against Australia. The move seeks to give him a sight of his potential foe as well as the red ball, though the selectors may not witness either before the squad is announced, should it rain today, as forecast, following Australia's monopoly of the crease on Friday.
Taylor's likely inclusion will mean a 14-man squad comprising the XI who played at Lord's plus Steven Finn and Graham Onions. Given England's desire to play on dry, bare pitches, you might expect them to have another specialist spinner in the squad. But unless you count Root, that development seems unlikely.
POSSIBLE ENGLAND SQUAD (for third Test at Old Trafford): *AN Cook, JE Root, IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, IR Bell, JM Bairstow, †MJ Prior, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, GP Swann, JM Anderson, ST Finn, G Onions, JWA Taylor.
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