The Hindu : Sport : Kevin Pietersen leads England’s solid reply

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Kevin Pietersen leads England’s solid reply

Ted Corbett

Missed chances prove costly for the visitor

— PHOTO: AFP

UP up AND ABOVE: Kevin Pietersen celebrated his elevation to captaincy with a punishing century at the Oval.

LONDON: Twice in 20 minutes at the overcast Oval Makhaya Ntini had the chance to cut short the innings that the new England captain Kevin Pietersen always intended should be an eye-catching century. Twice Ntini spilled the chance and had to watch Pietersen complete his captaincy-debut century.

Pietersen is the first England batsman to score a century in his first innings as captain in this country and he completed it with his 15th four but, with the job only half done, he was out immediately to give Ntini his fourth wicket. No wonder, just having finished his century celebration he threatened his stumps with his bat.

First drop

First Ntini, the quickest outfielder in the South African side, sprinted 35 yards and, diving as the ball fell, failed to get a fingertip to it at deep square leg. Perhaps he lost the ball in the gloom from behind his sunglasses.

Then came a 10-minute break for bad light before Pietersen who had been so restrained, mistimed another stroke and the ball looped over Ntini’s shoulder as he turned and chased and again spilled the chance at long on. Pietersen was on 66.

It should have been Ntini’s day for he had collected the only three wickets England had lost as it struggled to gain a first innings lead even though the South Africans had totalled just 194. His teammates were clearly furious at his two drops and told him so. Pietersen rammed the lesson home by taking 15 off an over from Morne Morkel.

These two drops were also bad moments for Pietersen who has been told repeatedly, in print, on the radio and by those former captains who make up the television panels, that he is not the right man to be captain of England. His hundred and his cool manner of making it proves his critics wrong but it will be a while before they conceded the point.

They say he has no captaincy experience, that concentrating on his teammates’ welfare will spoil his ability to put together big scores and that his rashness will provide a bad example. Pietersen has been given a cool welcome even though he led England competently as the bowlers shot South Africa — already the winners of the series — out for 194 on the first day of the fourth and final Test.

Quiet start

Pietersen was walking to the wicket sooner than he might have chosen because Ian Bell was caught at slip on Ntini’s fourth ball of the day but, although one or two of his proclamations that I am leaving this ball alone lasted a micro second longer than necessary as he made a quiet start.

Frankly there was not much you would want to remember about the first two hours save for two shots down the ground by Pietersen to either side of the sponsor’s logo. Both were masterful, brooking no argument, a boundary as they left the bat.

Alastair Cook, stubborn, restrained, unmoved by his own fours or the ball that forced a hurried rethink of his defensive shots, got out unexpectedly ten minutes before lunch when he launched a massive square cut at a ball floating away and was caught by Mark Boucher.

At lunch England was 116 for three but after his two major mistakes there was no holding back Pietersen, who had already hit 500 runs this summer, besides making centuries against New Zealand and South Africa.

It showed his critics his strengths and, as he got out, his shortcomings.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa — 1st innings: G. Smith c Anderson b Harmison 46, N. McKenzie c Cook b Flintoff 17, H. Amla b Harmison 36, J. Kallis lbw b Anderson 2, A. Prince c Bell b Anderson 4, A.B. de Villiers lbw b Panesar 39, M. Boucher c Ambrose b Anderson 3, M. Morkel c Bell b Broad 17, P. Harris (not out) 13, A. Nel c Ambrose b Broad 4, M. Ntini b Panesar 9; Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb2) 4. Total (in 64.5 overs): 194.

Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-103, 3-103, 4-105, 5-118, 6-132, 7-158, 8-168, 9-172.

England bowling: Harmison 18-6-49-2, Anderson 15-1-42-3, Flintoff 15-2-37-1, Broad 14-3-60-2, Panesar 2.5-0-4-2.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Smith b Ntini 6, A. Cook c Boucher b Ntini 39, I. Bell c Smith b Ntini 24, K. Pietersen c Kallis b Ntini 100, P. Collingwood (batting) 49, A. Flintoff (batting) 9; Extras (lb-1, nb-3, w-1) 5. Total (for four wkts. in 67 overs at tea): 232.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-51, 3-111, 4-219.

South Africa bowling: Morkel 17-1-63-0, Ntini 19-3-74-4, Nel 17-5-45-0, Kallis 8-0-36-0, Harris 6-2-13-0.

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