LEEDS: Kevin Pietersen hit his fifth century in his 17th Test at Headingley but had to retire hurt with cramp in his left arm. It was typical Pietersen; high drama in both his shots and his demands for medical attention. He loves centre stage but that does nothing to detract from his superlative batting. Without him England might have been in a sorry state and if the sporting gods had smiled on Pakistan on the first day of the third Test, its bowlers would have had five England batsmen out by lunch and — as the England tail starts at No. 8 — have had it all out before tea.

It was not the bowlers' fault that good bowling failed to break down the two escapees; umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove must take all the blame.

England won the toss and raced to 67 in the 16th over before Marcus Trescothick was caught and bowled by Mohammad Sami, already in his second spell. In the following over Shahid Nazir, drafted to make use of the seamer-friendly pitch had Andrew Strauss caught in the slips.

He had already been let off when he appeared to edge the ball to Kamran Akmal — who began the Test with 98 victims — and then in quick succession Kevin Pietersen nicked the ball on to his thigh and to Akmal and Alastair Cook provided an identical chance.

Repeat images

Three mistakes by the umpires and only 24 overs bowled. Pietersen, erratically and Cook, with more composure, took the score to 110 for two which would have been satisfactory had Cook not been caught and bowled off the last ball before the interval. The ball appeared to stop on him, as it had on Trescothick.

This day's play was full of repeat images but Paul Collingwood provided one on its own when he opened his score — off only his eighth ball — by pulling a long hop from Umar Gul into the scoreboard area for six.

It was such an extravagant stroke that for a moment I thought it was Pietersen but that extraordinary batsman was playing his own game: sometimes tied down but still able to leap like a tiger on to the loose ball.

Precision

Trescothick had begun with an off-drive but soon Pietersen had two on-drives and two cover hits that vied for shot of the day. He hit an extra cover drive so hard it was over the ropes before he could leave his crease and followed it up with another off Nazir that had the precision of a laser bomb.

Fifty-eight runs came in the third hour. Pietersen went to fifty — off 79 balls with his eighth four — then played his flap-wristed drive through mid wicket for two and four. It was not his most spectacular innings and Collingwood must have thought the score needed a boost for he swung one Gul ball for four and the next high to mid-wicket to make it four for 192 in 49 overs.

By tea England had 224 for four — Pietersen 82 from 110 balls — and it was clear Pakistan's attack relied too heavily on Nazir, called up even though he was not in the original party or the 25-strong tour squad.

Pietersen went to his hundred in an over which included three exhilarating fours and two visits from the physio. When he retired Ian Bell set out after his third successive century and Chris Read made 38 to nail down the wicket-keeping spot. At the close England was 347 for six with Pietersen to return on day two.

SCOREBOARD

England — 1st innings: M. Trescothick c & b Sami 28, A. Strauss c Younis b Nazir 36, A. Cook c & b Gul 23, K. Pietersen (retd. hurt) 104, P. Collingwood c Taufeeq b Gul 31, I. Bell (batting) 66, C. Read lbw b Gul 38, M. Hoggard b Gul 0; Extras (b-7, lb-5, nb-9): 21; Total (for six wkts. in 89.4 overs): 347.

Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-67, 3-110, 4-192, 5-345, 6-347.

Pakistan bowling: Sami 19-1-102-1, Gul 18.4-3-73-4, Nazir 22-6-62-1, Kaneria 24-3-72-0, Taufeeq 2-0-8-0, Butt 4-0-18-0.

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