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England batsman Kevin Pietersen today said he was ‘absolutely devastated’ to be returning home from the World Cup after finally succumbing to a hernia problem.

The England and Wales Cricket Board today confirmed Pietersen would fly back the UK in the next 24 hours due to the injury which was first discovered during the recent one-day series in Australia.

News that Pietersen’s World Cup was over emerged this morning while the England squad were en route from India to Bangladesh for their next match on Friday.

It had already been confirmed that Pietersen would undergo hernia surgery after the World Cup, but he appeared laboured in the field during yesterday’s six-run win against South Africa.

England’s management have now acted to avoid further aggravation of the problem that has also ruled Pietersen out of the Indian Premier League, which he was due to contest with the Deccan Chargers.

Pietersen, who will be out for around six weeks when he undergoes the surgery, said on his Twitter page this morning: ‘Confirming the BREAKING NEWS … I fly home tonight. Out of the WC & IPL.. Absolutely devastated!

‘Sad to leave India.. Love the people & the hospitality!’

It had been hoped England’s medical staff would be able to nurse Pietersen through the remainder of the World Cup.

Speaking on Saturday, Pietersen said: ‘I’m obviously extremely disappointed to have picked up this hernia injury.

‘It will no doubt impact my preparation but careful management should see me still play a significant role in the team’s campaign.’

But Pietersen complained of soreness after bowling eight overs in the victory against South Africa, while his performance with the bat in Chennai gleaned just two runs.

The ECB have applied to the ICC to call up Eoin Morgan as Pietersen’s replacement.
Morgan was originally named in England’s World Cup squad but missed out after suffering a broken finger in the build-up to the tournament.

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 knockout stage should England qualify.

Andrew Strauss response afternarrowly defeating South Africa and keeping England’s world cup hopes alive

“There are plenty of things we didn’t do well in this game but we got away with a win,” captain Strauss admitted after a thrilling finish in Chennai.

“Sometimes a win is all you need to really kick-start things.

“We thought the wicket was going to deteriorate but we should have got 230. We’re delighted to win and we move on with high hopes of achieving things.”

Prior to this classic comeback England were involved in a high-scoring tie against India and a shock three-wicket defeat against minnows Ireland. They even stretched their fans’ patience in their opening match against Group B outsiders The Netherlands before settling the matter late in the day.

“We’re definitely doing our bit to advertise the 50-over format but we’d like games to be a little bit less close than they are,” said Strauss.

“We had to respond well after the defeat to Ireland. I thought the guys in the field were outstanding and it puts us back on track in this World Cup and it couldn’t come a day too soon.

“The spinners were outstanding earlier on and then the seamers just banged a length down consistently which is what you need to do on wickets like that.”

Strauss admitted that England had lost the plot badly with the bat after winning a helpful toss.

“To lose three wickets early on a pitch like that was criminal really. Thankfully Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara got us back in the hunt,” he said.

“It was a huge game for us and it was a far better performance. You’re not going to defend 170-odd very often, so you need things to go your way. After the Ireland game we needed to show some character.”

Strauss admitted that England need to impress in both of their remaining group games to give them a boost for the latter stages of the tournament.

“We’ve not been consistent enough in this tournament to say we can win one out of two; we’ve got to look to win both games and win them handsomely.

“The key is to focus on the Bangladesh game - which will be a hard game for us, and a must-win game for them.

“But there’s no good winning your group games comfortably, and then at the back end you let yourselves down.

“We’ve been involved in tight games - we’ve won two, tied one, lost one. In that way, it’s encouraging. We certainly don’t want to put ourselves in that position every time.”

Strauss reserved special praise for off-spinner Graeme Swann against South Africa.

“Swanny bowled exceptionally well, while Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad made crucial breakthroughs at the right time when the ball was reversing.”

Bopara, brought back into the side at the expense of Paul Collingwood, responded by hitting 60, his career-best at this level. It was enough to win him the man-of-the-match award, though Broad (4-15) was entitled to feel hard done by.

“I’m very pleased with the result - but the man of the match should have gone to Stuart,” concurred Bopara.

“I know he didn’t bowl his full quota of 10, but when he did bowl he was a massive difference and made it count.

“When me and Trotty got together we realised after about 20 minutes it wasn’t a great wicket and thought 200 would be a good score.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith found himself answering all-too-familiar questions afterwards, principally about his team’s reputation as “chokers” at big tournaments.

They already have two wins on the board, though, and still ought to progress to the last eight with ease.

“It’s obviously disappointing not to get over the line. I felt we had enough to do it at 120-3,” said Smith.

“Losing those two wickets in such a short space of time was a big blow. I think Broad and Jimmy bowled particularly well with the reverse-swinging ball today. It’s always tough to face when they get it to reverse both ways.

“Credit to them for the skill they showed today. They were able to create a lot of pressure on the guys.”

Kevin O’Brien stunned England with the fastest hundred in World Cup history as Ireland secured their greatest victory with a monumental three-wicket triumph in Bangalore. O’Brien clubbed a magnificent 113 off 63 deliveries as Ireland earned the highest World Cup run-chase with four balls to spare. After he’d added a match-changing 162 with Alex Cusack, John Mooney joined him to play the innings of his life and help write another famous chapter in Irish sport.

When the partnership was broken with 55 still needed Ireland could have lost their way, especially when O’Brien couldn’t get the strike back. However, after struggling to get the ball away Mooney suddenly started locating the boundary, firstly off the outside edge but then with two nerveless drives through the covers, each coming after England had strung together a few dot balls to build pressure. He was the dominant partner in the seven-wicket stand.

Still, though, there was a final twist when O’Brien was run out in the penultimate over. Trent Johnston, however, drove his first ball, a full toss from Stuart Broad, for four as the equation came down to below a run-a-ball for the first time in the entire chase. The final over started with just three needed and off the second ball Mooney clipped Anderson through midwicket to set off epic celebrations that will take over any available Bangalore bar tonight.

O’Brien’s innings was breathtaking. He entered when Ed Joyce, seemingly Ireland’s last chance of making the chase a contest, was stumped off Graeme Swann to leave their run-chase floundering at 106 for 4, which soon became 111 for 5 when Gary Wilson fell lbw. But O’Brien proceeded to tear the England attack apart. He showed power reminiscent of Kieron Pollard but with a calmer head and better technique, bringing up his hundred off 50 balls with a tuck for two into the leg side to beat Matthew Hayden’s World Cup record of 66 deliveries. It led to a reveal of his the purple head-do as part of Ireland’s charity fundraising campaign.

He showed his intent early when he thumped Swann through the covers second-ball and the tucked into the offspinner’s ninth over with two sixes over midwicket which injected life into Ireland’s innings. O’Brien was on 35 off 22 balls when Ireland took the batting Powerplay and it was during those five overs that the chance of the impossible became possible as 62 runs surged onto the total.

As happened against Ryan ten Doeschate’s onslaught in their opening match against the Netherlands, England’s bowlers started to lose the plot during another wayward, undisciplined display. Michael Yardy went for 16 as did James Anderson whom O’Brien pulled for a huge six to take him to a 30-ball fifty. Anderson’s next over went for 17 including another leg-side pull and in between whiles, even the normally reliable Tim Bresnan was dispatched, including the finest shot of O’Brien’s innings when he drove a six clean over cover.

Really, though, fielding restrictions meant nothing to O’Brien and he continued on his merry way with another huge blow over midwicket to take him into the 90s. Then the whole of Ireland held their breath as O’Brien’s next attempt to clear the rope sent the ball high into the night sky where Andrew Strauss made a lot of ground but then couldn’t hold on.

O’Brien needed support to play his incredible innings and Cusack’s role can’t be understated in the amazing scenes which unfolded. He was almost lost in O’Brien’s slipstream but sensibly rotated the strike until, off his 49th ball, he joined the boundary hitting by launching Collingwood over midwicket then thumped Yardy straight down the ground. Even his dismissal, run-out from backward point, was for the team cause as he ensured O’Brien stayed at the crease. Although he wasn’t quite there at the end he had written himself a permanent place in Irish folklore.

Even more incredibly this wasn’t a run chase built on solid foundations. William Porterfield dragged the first ball of the innings into his stumps and although Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien all played neatly their contributions were seemingly too insignificant in such a huge pursuit. In the final outcome, however, the intent shown by Stirling, in particular, showed Ireland wouldn’t take a backward step.

Tellingly, too, Stirling was given a life when Matt Prior shelled a simple chance which set the tone for another shoddy fielding display. However, it looked like England would comfortably emerge unscathed when Swann removed three middle-order scalps with a teasing spell of drift, flight and turn to leave Ireland 111 for 5. Already, though, O’Brien was at the non-striker’s end and about embark on one of the great match-winning displays.

There are so many areas England will rue, chiefly another below-par display in the field but they will also look back on the closing stages of their seemingly impressive 327. The final five overs only brought 33 runs as Mooney preceded his crucial batting effort with some smart death bowling and a career-best 4 for 63. It meant, like for India three days ago, the 350-plus that was on the cards when Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell were adding 167 for the third wicket didn’t materialise. This tournament is proving that big first-innings scores are no certainty of victory.

It will be largely forgotten because of what followed, but Trott wrote his own place in the record books when he reached 1000 runs in his 21st innings to equal the mark set by Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen. The latter had set up the innings with a sparkling 59 before throwing away his chance of a hundred with a top-edged reverse sweep. It wasn’t England’s only piece of lazy cricket. Bell’s was a lovely, easy, innings as he moved along with smart placement and deft touches to tick off his fifty from 61 balls.

After their problems against India, England actually used the batting Powerplay reasonably well to collect 45 runs and even though the middle order failed to fire once again it appeared fairly insignificant when Ireland’s top order was whittled away. One man, though, stood in their way and the rest, as they say, is history.

As Ireland went fronm strength to strength England seemed to lose heart. Man of the match, Kevin O’Brien, confessed after Ireland’s win that he was speechless. Admitting that he played the best he ever has in his cricket career, he said that he kept the faith and it had paid off. O’Brien plays for Railway Union club in Dublin. He will no doubt be their star player from now on.

Ireland broke two world records during today’s play. O’Brien broke the record for the fastest time to reach a century. Ireland also secured the record for the tournament’s highest ever run-chase.

In the end Ireland beat the England team by a narrow margin. Securing a 3 wicket win may not sound like a thrashing but it was just that. As Ireland had to claw their way to success from behind, and England was in theory a mighty opponent, Ireland’s success is astounding but also very deserved.

SHANE Warne’s sex-ploits cost him the vice-captaincy of the Australian Test side in 2000, the chance to become one-day international skipper two years later and his Channel Nine contract in 2005.

His latest rendezvous, this time reportedly a steamy encounter with married actress Elizabeth Hurley in London, will almost certainly end any debate - serious or not - about returning to the Australian side and becoming an Ashes saviour.

Hurley today confirmed, that her marriage to Indian tycoon Arun Nayar, whom she wed in 2007, was over, writing: “Not a great day. For the record, my husband Arun & I separated a few months ago. Our close family & friends were aware of this.”

Whether the latest revelation again jeopardises Warne’s contract with the Nine network, and his flagging talkshow Warnie, remains to be seen.

The late Kerry Packer told Warne in 2005 that the negative publicity around his off-field life at the time meant his contract would not be renewed.

Warne briefly returned to his plush home in Melbourne’s bayside, driving with two of his children past a media pack.

Warne, dressed in black tracksuit pants and a black T-shirt, did not acknowledge the waiting media or answer his intercom after he returned to his Brighton home.

He flew into Melbourne last night from London, where he was filming interviews for his Nine Network chatshow.

While home this morning, Warne transferred suitcases from the boot of his black Mercedes before leaving about 20 minutes later with his two children.

The latest allegations in British tabloid The News of the World claims Hurley, who wed Indian tycoon Arun Nayar in 2007, spent two nights with serial bad boy Warne in his hotel suite last week.

Warne, 41, left immediately for London after commentating for Nine in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide to film interviews for his new show.

The paper claims the pair was captured on video in a series of ‘’sizzling public clinches”.

A witness told the paper: ”They were so passionate they looked like honeymooners. It was electric.”

The paper said the pair was seen exchanging kisses after popping out of Warne’s luxury suite in a hotel close to Hurley’s London home.

It was reported that on their second night together they were locked away in the same suite for more than 11 hours.

Warne, who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with former wife Simone, has been flirting with Hurley via Twitter for months.

On July 22, Hurley wrote to the father of three: ”Hello new Australian friend, how nice to have met you and in such sexy surroundings. I like the papers saying we are old friends”.

Warne’s serial philandering - at one time lurid text messages sent to an English nurse - prompted then Cricket Australia chief executive Malcolm Speed to strip him of the vice-captaincy in 2000 and replace him with Adam Gilchrist - a move that continues to this day to anger him.

The decision split Australia’s cricket hierarchy and drove a wedge between Gilchrist and Warne.

The champion leg-spinner was also shortlisted with Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting for the captaincy of the one-day side in 2002, but his off-field headlines meant he was never a realistic chance for the top job despite having one of the sharpest cricketing minds.

He is regarded as the best Test captain Australia never had, and his absence since retirement in 2007 has sparked a revolving door of spinners, with 10 used so far.

Calls for his Ashes return have grown since Australia was thrashed by an innings in Adelaide.

Dean Jones says Warne would return if guaranteed the captaincy for the next two years, while Australian coach Tim Nielsen has not ruled out the idea of Warne being recalled.

But selector Greg Chappell says he has been ”amused” by the calls and his panel ”haven’t really given a lot of thought about it”.

Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Michael Beer, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Left-arm spinner Michael Beer was a surprise selection as Australia dropped Marcus North, Doug Bollinger and Xavier Doherty for the third Ashes Test.

Beer, who has made only five first-class appearances, is joined by leg-spinner Steve Smith in a squad of 12.

Pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson, who played at Brisbane but were dropped for the defeat by England in Adelaide, are back in the reckoning.

And left-handed opener Phil Hughes comes in for the injured Simon Katich.

Smith, viewed as a genuine all-rounder in some quarters, seems certain to start the Perth Test, which begins on 16 December, since no batsman has been picked to replace North, Australia’s misfiring number six from Brisbane and Adelaide.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin could be pushed up a place in the batting order, leaving Smith to bat at seven, and four pace bowlers to follow - or three of them plus Beer.

Australia will be desperate to win at Perth to get back on to level terms in a series they must win to regain the Ashes.

While Smith’s inclusion was predictable, Beer’s call-up is something of a shock.

He came into first-class cricket in his mid-20s and has only 16 first-class wickets at an average of 39.93, five of which came in England’s tour match against Western Australia.

He had won the backing of Australia’s greatest ever spinner Shane Warne, but it is not clear whether the selectors were swayed by his opinions.

Australia’s chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. “Michael is a left-arm orthodox spinner who has been very impressive at domestic level this year. He took wickets against England in the tour match earlier this summer and we expect he will bowl very well against the English on his home ground.”

Beer, 26, plied his trade in Melbourne club cricket until the end of last season, when he moved to Western Australia in an attempt to launch his domestic career.

One man who will definitely play at the Waca is Hughes, who made four and zero in his most recent first-class match but was always favourite to replace Katich. The veteran left-hander will miss the rest of the series with an Achilles tendon injury.

Smith has played two Tests, against Pakistan in England in July, when he was chosen as a leg-spinner in the absence of the injured Nathan Hauritz.

Hilditch said of his decision to drop North, following scores of 1, 26 and 22 in the first two Tests: “This is obviously disappointing for Marcus who has played some outstanding Test innings for Australia.

“But it was felt to be the right time to bring the exciting prospect Steve Smith into the Test team. Steve has already had success at international level and will also add to the bowling depth with his leg-spin bowling and dynamic fielding.”

Hilditch added: “Johnson and Hilfenhaus will be strongly considered for selection in Perth, where conditions will suit them.”

Former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson was critical of the selectors’ thinking, labelling Beer as “just a fledgling”.

Lawson told BBC Radio 5 live: “There are a lot of respectable spinners around in Australian cricket. Nathan Hauritz just had a respectable game in Sydney, and last week he played in Perth, took five wickets and bowled really well.

“Two leg-spinners, Jason Krejza and Bryce McGain, don’t seem to be in favour. There are a number of other decent bowlers but the national selectors don’t want to persevere with them.”

Looking at the return of Johnson and Hilfenhaus just one match after being dropped, Lawson added: “In his last six or seven Tests Johnson has been poor, but he wasn’t even allowed to play for Queensland against Western Australia in the match starting on Saturday.

“It is bizarre thinking from the coaching staff and selectors to put him back in the team when he has been bowling poorly for some time and has only had net work, whereas someone like Doug Bollinger has been Australia’s best bowler for the past 12 months.

“He had a poor game in Adelaide but so did quite a few others and they have discarded him on the evidence of one Test match. So it is quite confusing. There is a lack of consistency, a lack of clear process and you can only believe that come next Thursday in Perth there will still be a lot of confusion.”

There’s no love lost between Ian Chappell and Ian Botham. The Australian and the Englishman came to blows way back in 1977 in a Melbourne bar, and they were almost at it again on Monday. The duo went at each other in the car parking at the Adelaide Oval — the venue for the second Ashes Test. Had it not been for people around, who pulled them apart, things could have turned nasty.

According to reports, Chappell, 67, and Botham, 55, squared up to each after the end of play on Monday. They were in the parking area when “Chappell muttered something highly provocative as he went past”. A surprised Botham turned around to retort: “What did you say?”

And after Chappell made another incendiary remark, both were at each others’ throats before being quickly separated.

“They went for each other and it could have got very nasty if there hadn’t been people to keep them apart,” the daily quoted a source.

Clearly, the two aren’t in a mood to call truce anytime soon

Until England’s untimely collapse on the second morning of the First test v Pakistan, it looked like Morgan’s first test century was setting us up for a big total! Nonetheless it is great to see this young talent making it now in the test side and I personally hope we will be seeing a lot more of him in Australia.

England strolled to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 semi-finals to reach an ICC tournament final for the first time since 2004.

Led by Stuart Broad, the bowlers excelled in St Lucia with only Angelo Mathews (58) making any sort of contribution in a total of 128-6.

Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb then put on 68 for the first wicket to put England firmly on course.

New dad Kevin Pietersen made 42 not out as they eased home with 24 balls left.

England’s eyes will now turn towards Sunday’s final in Barbados, potentially against this winter’s Ashes opponents Australia, should Michael Clarke’s unbeaten team put paid to Pakistan’s defence of the trophy on Friday.

England have never won a major global tournament, a statistic their fans are keen to see consigned to history, but Paul Collingwood’s side will go into the final full of confidence after an impressive all-round display.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara looked pleased to have won the toss as he elected to allow his batsmen to take first use of what transpired to be a blameless wicket at the Beausejour Stadium.

England knew it was vital to remove Mahela Jayawardene, who has been in red-hot form in the Caribbean, as early as possible.

And everything went entirely according to plan for Collingwood’s men as two wickets had already fallen by the time Jayawardene departed to Broad’s first delivery.

Broad, summoned up to bowl the fifth over after Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom had shared the new ball, bowled a delivery just back of a length outside off-stump, seaming away a fraction. Jayawardene’s thin defensive edge was easily snapped up by wicketkeeper Kieswetter.

By then, the 39-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya had been caught at second slip off Sidebottom, before Tillakaratne Dilshan was superbly held at deep square leg by a diving Luke Wright off Bresnan.

With Jayawardene following the procession back to the pavilion, England were already firmly in control, and Collingwood now turned to eight overs of solid spin bowling from Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy.

Sri Lanka’s batsmen could not take too many risks, and one of the few that was taken, Sangakkara’s lofted off-drive off Swann, resulted in an easy catch for Pietersen

he return of Broad and Sidebottom presaged a curious period of play withbatsmen flailing desperately at bouncers of varying speed

On one occasion, Chamara Kapugedara, who was eventually put out of his misery when driving Broad to mid-off, threw his bat out of his hands all the way to square-leg umpire Aleem Dar.

Mathews, who hit Sri Lanka’s only six, finally began to make sense of England’s tactics and, with the scoring choked to the tune of 96-5 off 17 overs, took Bresnan for 14 runs in the 18th, an over made more profitable by the Yorkshireman’s three wides.

But with no boundaries coming off either of the last two overs, there was little momentum for Sri Lanka to take into the England chase.

Sangakkara tried five different bowlers in the first five overs, to little avail.

Kieswetter and Lumb had the luxury of having a couple of overs to play themselves in, and once they had done so played some meaty shots to put pressure on the Sri Lankans.

England’s openers did get lucky on occasion - umpire Simon Taufel rejected a perfectly good lbw appeal by Mathews against Kieswetter when the right-hander had made 16, while Lumb only avoided being run out on 11 when Ajantha Mendis made an embarrassing mess of taking Lasith Malinga’s return.

Jayasuriya’s exploratory over saw both batsmen hit handsome sixes, though Kieswetter finally departed to a Malinga yorker.

Lumb should also have been caught on 23 by substitute fielder Nuwan Kulasekara, running in from long-off, in the ninth over.

He stayed to carve Thissara Perera over the off-side for two boundaries, before being bowled round his legs by the same bowler.

Pietersen announced his arrival back in the Caribbean - after a quick visit to London to attend the birth of his son - by hammering Suraj Randiv for an enormous six.

Skipper Collingwood, yet to make a significant score in the tournament, made just 10, but Pietersen continued to playbrilliantly , hitting Malinga for another six with what was little more than a simple flick over midwicket.

A straight drive along the ground for four off the same bowler ended the game in perfect fashion for an extremely focused England side.

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We are pleased to announce that the England and Leicestershire wicket-keeper batsman Paul Nixon has informed us that he will is looking forward to joining Living WIth The Lions on tour in Australia in 2010. As an Official Travel Agent for the 3 Mobile Ashes Tour, Living WIth The Lions are able to offer a range of packages to all 5 of the test match series.

2010-11 Australian international summer of cricket

KFC Twenty20 International

• 12 January 2011 Australia v England Adelaide
• 14 January 2011 Australia v England Melbourne

Commonwealth Bank Series

• 16 January 2011 Australia v England Melbourne
• 21 January 2011 Australia v England Hobart
• 23 January 2011 Australia v England Sydney
• 26 January 2011 Australia v England Adelaide
• 30 January 2011 Australia v England Brisbane
• 2 February 2011 Australia v England Sydney
• 6 February 2011 Australia v England Perth