Strauss hopeful of Pietersen's recovery for South African tour

London, Oct 8(ANI): England captain Andrew Strauss has said that he is hopeful of star batsman Kevin Pietersen making a full recovery to be part of the squad for the winter tour of South Africa.

Pietersen has been sidelined since July following an Achilles heel surgery, but is expected to be fit for the series which begins on November 20 in Johannesburg.

"He is getting better quite quickly now so we are very hopeful he will make the trip. Hopefully, he will play in some one-dayers and then a full part in the rest of the series," The Daily Express quoted Strauss, as saying.The sooner he is back the better. It's going to be as hard a series as we could possibly have at this stage of our development," he added.

National selectors Geoff Miller, Ashley Giles and James Whitaker, along with Strauss and coach Andy Flower will select the Test and one-day team for the 11-week trip at Lord's on Thursday.

Pietersen will be itching to play his first Test series in his homeland, where he had made a startling impact in his first winter as an England player. He had scored three centuries in five one-day internationals during the series, which ensured a successful start to his international career. (ANI)