Kevin Pietersen's ribs, rather than his bat, could have a major impact on England's World Cup campaign.

A rib injury, sustained after being hit by a Glenn McGrath delivery, forced Pietersen to miss the latter stages of England's ultimately triumphant one-day series in Australia.

No sooner was he flying out of Australia than team officials were insisting he would be fit for the World Cup, prompting a cynical debate about who should be Pietersen's replacement.

Even though England gave themselves a massive boost by beating world champions Australia without him, Pietersen's absence would be a major blow to their World Cup hopes.

His one-day record of 1,582 runs at a high average of 56.50 couple with a rapid scoring rate of 94.90 runs per 100 balls faced, tells only part of the story of Pietersen's batting.

Pietersen has the ability to frustrate the best bowlers around by his capacity to invent strokes.

For example there was his

reverse-sweeping of Muttiah Muralidaran for six, or his going down the pitch to McGrath and, on one leg, whipping a ball from outside off-stump through mid-wicket -- the so-called 'flamingo' shot.

And his duels with the similarly self-confident Shane Warne, a key reason in Pietersen's move from Nottinghamshire to Hampshire, where the Australia great is captain, were one of the few engrossing contests during England's recent 50 Ashes thrashing.

There are those, however, who think Pietersen's runs are being scored for the wrong country.

Born and brought-up in South Africa, Pietersen quit his homeland in protest at a quota-system which he felt was restricting his opportunities as a white cricketer in the postapartheid era and instead set about representing England, the land of his mother's birth.

One-day cricket gave him the opening in the international arena he craved and, after making his England debut away to Zimbabwe in 2004, it was in his native South Africa, of all places, that he announced himself to the world.

A hundred in the second one-day international at Bloemfontein was accompanied by the sight of Pietersen kissing the badge on his England helmet.

One good thing about Pietersen's upbringing is the absence of the often crippling diffidence which has gnawed away at so many English players.

If Pietersen, a man whose supreme self-belief is often labelled as arrogance, has ever doubted whether he was good enough to play international cricket he has kept it well-hidden.

In this he shares a trait with Tony Greig, England's flamboyant, South Africa-born, captain of the 1970s.

Such is his giant personality, it has been suggested that Pietersen is not a good team man -- an even greater insult within English cricket than labelling someone a poor player.

Australia coach John Buchanan was the latest to make that criticism and Pietersen replied in characteristic fashion.

"Australia love to have a go at individuals before series, during series and after series and I'm not really too interested. It does hurt when people say that because I'm a massive team player," said the player.

Pietersen, it seems, can sometimes be as hard to work-out off the field as he is for bowlers on it.