Injury forces Pietersen to miss Hampshire bow

Kevin Pietersen's eagerly anticipated Hampshire debut was put on hold at Southampton today following fears he could risk serious injury by playing against Gloucestershire.

The hottest new property in English cricket had looked set to give the county championship season a high-profile launch after his winter move from Notts and batting exploits in South Africa. But the 24-year-old is still struggling to recover from a stress reaction in his left foot.

"I was only about five or 10 per cent away from playing today," he said. "But there's no point in me getting a stress fracture in my foot that would keep me out for six to eight weeks.

"It's just a question of getting it right. The foot is still a bit tender so it's a case of biding my time. I'm going to try to get fit for Sunday's one-dayer against Essex. I've got to play against Darren Gough! There's no way I'm missing out on that one."

Pietersen, who scored three centuries in six one-day internationals in South Africa, is expected to make his Test debut against Bangladesh next month.

Meanwhile, Shane Warne's decision to put Hampshire into bat after the delay for rain backfired as the home side were reduced to 84 for four with Mark Hardinges removing opener James Adams and John Crawley.

Sussex got off to a solid start in their match against Surrey at The Oval, reaching 35 without loss after eight overs while Essex lost the wicket of Alistair Cook for just 11 in their game at Chelmsford against Yorkshire.

Today's fixtures: Frizzell County Championship:

Div One

The Oval: Sussex 35-0 (8 overs) v Surrey.
Rose Bowl: Hampshire 81-4 (29 overs) v Gloucs.
Edgbaston: Glamorgan 124-2 (34 overs) v Warwicks.

Div Two

Chelmsford: Essex 47-1 (20 overs) v Yorkshire .
Old Trafford: Lancashire 48-1 (18 overs) v Somerset.
Derby: Worcs 115-1 (34 overs) v Derbyshire.
Leicester: Durham 119-1 (41 overs) v Leicestershire.