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Pietersen, Ambrose rescue England

Ted Corbett

Kiwis let the early advantage slip

— Photo: AP

VITAL KNOCK: Kevin Pietersen’s century, and his partnership with Tim Ambrose, helped England wriggle out of trouble.

NOTTINGHAM: How good is Kevin Pietersen? His century at Trent Bridge this afternoon was the 12th of his 39-Test career and it changed the course of the third and final Test which New Zealand must win to draw the series. But Pietersen got out too soon at 247 for six, leaving the England tail to complete the recovery. Well done, must do better, KP.

Just after lunch, when three wickets fell in 13 balls, it seemed that England, sent in, might not survive until tea against a supposedly weak New Zealand trying to make a 1-0 deficit into a drawn series but the sixth wicket pair of Pietersen and Tim Ambrose put together a partnership of 161.

We know that Pietersen has the skills, the desire, the ambition and the drive to make a couple of dozen hundreds, two or three double hundreds and maybe one that will threaten Brian Lara’s world record. But is he one of the elite Richards, Hutton, Tendulkar or good enough to invoke the memory of Bradman? I think not; even his best innings are flawed. You can argue his inventiveness and his willingness to advance towards the quicks makes him a great batsman, but the jury is hung about his place among the gods.

Cook goes early

We had only just taken in the majesty of the new stand and the other ground improvements costing £8.2m when Alistair Cook lost his leg stump in the sixth over at 14. By the end of that over Kyle Mills had produced four balls which Michael Vaughan, in his finest form, could not contact.

At the other end Chris Martin went for 12 from three sumptuous Vaughan cover drives but when Iain OBrien bowled the 13th over Vaughan, confident he had found the right touch, was also bowled.

Andrew Strauss and Pietersen guided England to 84 by lunch. In the first three overs after lunch the game was turned upside down. Strauss forgot restrain and flashed a head high catch to Ross Taylor from Mills.

Quick wickets

Ian Bell was plainly leg-before although umpire Steve Bucknor needed seconds to rehearse his check list before confirming what Bell must have feared. Paul Collingwood was out caught, once again by Taylor. Three wickets had fallen for two runs to the last ball of three successive overs and at 86 for five England was in trouble.

Mills, who was given only six overs as the Kiwis tried to bowl England out in the second innings at Old Trafford, picked up three wickets. By tea the recovery was in full swing at 180 for five; Ambrose cut his way to his second Test fifty, Pietersen made his highest score at Trent Bridge since he left Notts for Hampshire and yet England still failed to stamp its authority on a Kiwi side full of ordinary players.

The Duke of Edinburgh flew in by helicopter to open the new, still unnamed, stark white stand that backs on to the Bridgeford Road yet he did not appear in public, cut no ribbon and, so it is alleged, conducted the ceremony from the committee room.

SCOREBOARD

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Taylor b Mills 37, A. Cook b Mills 6, M. Vaughan b O’Brien 16, K. Pietersen c Hopkins b O’Brien 115, I. Bell lbw b O’Brien 0, P. Collingwood c Taylor b Mills 0, T. Ambrose c Hopkins b O’Brien 67, S. Broad (batting) 15, J. Anderson (batting) 1; Extras (b-4, lb-8, nb-4): 16; Total (for seven wkts. in 90 overs): 273.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-44, 3-84, 4-85, 5-86, 6-247, 7-262.

New Zealand bowling: Martin 12-1-61-0, Mills 24-7-58-3, O’Brien 20-4-61-4, Oram 17-6-26-0, Vettori 17-0-55-0.

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