England star Kevin Pietersen said he was "absolutely devastated" that his long-standing hernia problem had ended his World Cup and shattered his lucrative Indian Premier League plans. "Sad to leave India.. Love the people & the hospitality. Alvida doston (Goodbye friends)," he wrote on his Twitter account on Monday.
"I fly home tonight. Out of the WC & IPL.. Absolutely devastated." The 30-year-old will undergo a hernia operation which he had hoped to postpone until after the World Cup while Eoin Morgan will be called in as a replacement player. England coach Andy Flower said he had hoped Pietersen could "bite the bullet" but that the player had said the pain was "too debilitating".
Pietersen was clearly troubled during England's Group B win over his native South Africa in Chennai on Sunday where he made just two off three balls. He looked more of a threat with his part-time off-spin than with the bat in a tense six-run victory that reignited England's bid for a quarter-final spot.
"The medical advice was that he could get through the tournament," Flower told the BBC. "The hernia problem that he had would not get significantly worse and he wasn't going to tear anything so we hoped that he would get through the tournament ok, take pain killers when needed and bite the bullet.
"Unfortunately he says that the pain is too debilitating and he can't go on like that, so it's a pretty simple decision in replacing him." Pietersen's injury was diagnosed following England's 6-1 one-day series loss in Australia which came after the Test side's Ashes series triumph. Pietersen's message to his Twitter followers ended speculation that advancing his surgery might leave him free to play in the latest IPL which starts next month. He was due to earn around $650,000 playing for the Deccan Chargers.
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