'Injury prone' Pietersen may reconsider Test career after last Ashes Test Down Under

Star England batsman Kevin Pietersen may reportedly pull the plug on Test cricket after the final Ashes Test of the series in Australia in January at Sydney, even though he will be given more time off from England duty in a bid to stop him walking away from the longer format of the game.

According to the Mirror, Pietersen, who is arguably England's greatest run-scorer of all time, is struggling increasingly with injuries, admitting that he refused surgery on his bruised knee so that he could play his part in back-to-back Ashes, despite producing more brilliance over the weekend in the third Test to help secure the Ashes once more.

The report further said that even though Pietersen's determination to keep the urn in English hands again in Australia remains strong, it is evident that his body is finding it difficult to keep pace with the demands he is putting on it, forcing him to weigh up his future options.

However England coach Andy Flower said that even though Pietersen will have to look after himself as well as possible given that he is in his early 30s now and had suffered a couple of injuries, he is still in a good shape and in form and is still dedicated to getting himself right.

According to Flower, he is aware from experience and after talking to other players, who have played in a similar age as Pietersen is now, that is not uncommon of a cricketer of his age to get sore after big innings and long days in the field.

Flower further said that they try to look after the players that play all three forms of the game in as wise a way as possible, adding that as Pietersen is one such player, it is necessary to take him out of certain competitions to give him a well-deserved rest.

Pietersen is almost certain to miss either the Twenty20s or the one-days that follow the Ashes, but there is a very real possibility that the next two Test matches could be his last on English soil.