The Hindu : Sport : Pietersen shores up England

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 27, 2006

Sport

Sport

Pietersen shores up England

Ted Corbett

Muralitharan picks up six wickets

BIRMINGHAM: The Kevin Pietersen Story unfolded like a film biopic at Edgbaston on Friday as he scored his third home Test hundred in three innings and demonstrated that he was a unique batsman as England gained a first innings lead of 154 despite losing their last five batsmen for five runs.

Whenever a new batsman emerges one immediately wonders who he might be like. I promise there has never been anyone like KP — his nickname of choice — as he struts his stuff on a stage 22 yards long and nine inches deep. This is a one-off, different, they-threw-the-mould-away-when-they-made-him cricketer driven by a show-biz, Hollywood agenda; and one-trick Sri Lanka had an answer although its questions went never received a reply.

Pietersen appeared to be out lbw at least twice but umpire Darrell Hair, who has made his view on Muttiah Muralitharan's deliveries fairly plan, was unmoved. Perhaps he simply thought they were not out; perhaps he decided that an innings from Pietersen was just what the occasion demanded. He was absolutely right about that.

Pietersen began, as soon as the early morning drizzle was cleared away, on 30 and by lunch he had driven his own score to 65 and England's from 138 for three to 169 for four, as Matthew Hoggard ended a strokeless stint as night watchman when Chaminda Vaas knocked his stumps askew at 169. You may not have noticed the innings of 19 from Paul Collingwood that followed but Pietersen made sure that everyone saw his contribution in what might be called Big Gesture Batting.

He never adopts one bold pose when he can find three, his stances are so dramatic that you have to assume training in Hollywood and his hair changes colour so often that his hairdressing bill must exceed that of our Prime Minister's wife who recently paid out £7,000 in a month. But ignore all this colourful imagery.

Superb batsman

Pietersen is a superb batsman, one of the great attackers of this era, with a stroke for every ball yet a steadiness in defence that is remarkable. He is a good cricketer with batting talent not to be measured but admired and the ability — and the desire — to put the world's greatest bowlers to the sword.

He demonstrated that after lunch when he scored 35 off 31 balls — including seven fours — to reach his fifth Test century and his 25th in 94 first class matches. In all it had taken him 164 minutes, off 115 balls with a six and 16 fours. He had been batting 153 balls when he reverse swept Murali for six to reach 142; and how often do you see that! Murali hit him on the pads next ball so much in front of the wicket that Hair could not refuse the verdict.

We should be grateful for his forbearance since the day would have been nothing without Pietersen, his off balance drives, the fastest of his Test hundreds, his 142 which was more than the Sri Lankan aggregate and his extra extravagances like the prolonged acknowledgement of the applause for his century.

Andrew Flintoff, who like Hoggard and Collingwood before him, played a subordinate role to Pietersen was out in the following over to Malinga for nine put together in an hour and suddenly England was 290 for seven, less than 150 in front and the lower middle order, briefly, in charge.

Murali claimed Liam Plunkett as his fifth victim at 293 for eight and you had to ask if England was, for the second Test in succession, underestimating Sri Lanka.

It was the 52nd time Murali has taken five. Jones was his sixth victim and although Monty Panesar received a cheer as if he might replicate the Pietersen innings he could not cope with Malinga and just on the stroke of tea England was all out for 295.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka — 1st innings: 141.

England — 1st innings: M. Trescothick c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 27, A. Strauss (run out) 30, A. Cook lbw b Muralitharan 23, K. Pietersen lbw b Muralitharan 142, M. Hoggard b Vaas 3, P. Collingwood c Tharanga b Muralitharan 19, A. Flintoff b Malinga 9, G. Jones c Samaraweera b Muralitharan 4, L. Plunkett c Vandort b Muralitharan 0, S. Mahmood (not out) 0, M. Panesar lbw b Malinga 0; Extras: (b-6, lb-13, nb-14, pen-5): 38; Total (in 78.3 overs) 295.

Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-69, 3-125, 4-169, 5-238, 6-290, 7-290, 8-293, 9-294.

Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 16-6-30-1, Malinga 13.3-2-68-2, Maharoof 11-3-42-0, Muralitharan 25-2-86-6, Kulasekara 13-2-45-0.

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