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Pietersen faces his biggest test

Ted Corbett

— PHOTO: AP

Kevin Pietersen.

LONDON: During the next few days we will discover whatever is the reality of Kevin Pietersen as he leads England for the first time in a Test, comes up against his fellow countrymen from South Africa and takes on all the pressure that goes with the leadership on his favourite ground.

Self-confident to the point of arrogance, one of the best batsmen in the world and a charismatic character, Pietersen has everything that should turn him into a top class captain. Except that no portion of his enormous talent — some say ego — has been tested by captaincy. He has been the boss in one game for Nottinghamshire second XI — he says he does not remember it — and in a single one-day international. I did all right, the reaction to me from the players was positive, he says.

But, as he attempts to revive the fortunes of a losing side as well as working with coach Peter Moores, whose cup-throwing antics have split the dressing room, will this larger-than-life cricketer have the right tricks to mend the wounds?

Look at me

His every step as he bats, fields or simply accompanies his teammates on to the field, shouts look at me. Will he be able to curb that attitude to draw the best from his side; will he bat responsibly enough to make the rest follow suit; or will he fall over his own natural traits and sink without trace. Or will he continue in his own way and encourage his side to be their own men too?

I cannot recall any permanent England captain starting out with so many question marks against his name. Will he lose batting form like his predecessor Michael Vaughan; or be inspired by his elevation as the 78th England captain? Has he got the tactical ability, the understanding of the subtler points, and the man management skills to be a good, even a great captain?

Every expert who faces this question gives the same answer: We will have to wait and see. In my opinion he has had three bits of luck. He starts on the ground where he has already made two centuries, where he secured the Ashes in 2005 and with his own place in the side set in concrete.

The Smith factor

If Graeme Smith, his opposite number and, for a while, sworn enemy, misses out because of his back injury, Pietersen will also count himself lucky for Smith has grown from a raw leader into the best in the world, especially now that Stephen Fleming no longer leads New Zealand and Vaughan is concentrating on front lawn cricket with his son.

England will probably bring Steve Harmison back in place of Ryan Sidebottom whose back pain reduced his fast bowling to below 70 miles an hour in the third Test.

South Africa may have more time because rain threatens the game on day one but, as Australia has found at the Oval in the past, it may also be a tired team at the end of a long tour, and ready to defeat at the hands of a reinvigorated team led by a man who knows no fear.

The teams:

England (from): Kevin Pietersen (captain), Andrew Strauss. Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Andrew Flintoff, Tim Ambrose, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar, James Anderson. Steve Harmison and Stuart Broad.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, A.B. de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini.

Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan). Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka); TV umpire: P. Hartley.