Cricket: Kevin pieterson to undergo surgery

England batsman Kevin Pietersen will undergo hernia surgery after the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Saturday that Kevin Pietersen will have an operation on the problem, which was discovered after the recent one-day series in Australia.

Pietersen will continue to play in the ongoing tournament on the sub-continent before having surgery afterwards.

However, the operation will require around six weeks of recovery, ruling the batsman out of the Indian Premier League which is held after the ICC CWC.

Instead, Pietersen will target the first Test of the summer, against Sri Lanka on May 26, for his return to action.

He said: "I'm obviously extremely disappointed to have picked up this hernia injury. But I've been able to manage it so far throughout the ICC CWC and will continue to do so under the guidance of the England team's medical staff".

"It will no doubt impact my preparation but careful management should see me still play a significant role in the team's campaign. Representing England in an ICC CWC is something I've been looking forward to for the past four years and I'm excited by the prospect of helping the team achieve something special here on the sub-continent against the best teams in the world," he said.

"I'm bitterly disappointed to be missing the IPL but can take comfort from the fact that I will be fit for the start of a very exciting English summer against Sri Lanka and India," he added.

ECB chief medical officer Dr Nicholas Peirce said: "Following an MRI scan on return to the UK after the Australia ODI series, a diagnosis of a hernia was established. The nature of the injury is such that it can be managed for the duration of the ICC CWC".

"As the symptoms have been getting worse a decision has now been made that the appropriate course of action is for Kevin to undergo a routine operation upon his return to the UK after England's ICC CWC campaign," he pointed.

"Kevin will continue to be managed throughout the ICC CWC and we would expect him to make a full recovery following a recuperation and rehabilitation period of approximately six weeks after the operation," he concluded.