KP To The Rescue As Kiwis Look To Crush England!

Kevin Pietersen returned to his former home ground to claim a crucial half-century and prevent a post-lunch collapse gaining pace in the final npower Test against New Zealand.

The South African-born batsman spent four of his formative years qualifying for England with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge before an acrimonious move to Hampshire three years ago.

But playing in front of his former crowd today, Pietersen claimed his first Test fifty at Trent Bridge to help rescue England from a desperate situation on the opening day of the final Test.

Put into bat in swing-friendly conditions, England lost three wickets in just 13 balls and slumped to 86 for five until Pietersen delivered a defiant half-century and guided them to a more respectable 180 for five at tea.

He showed signs of his usual authority at the crease, but today was more of a determined than flamboyant innings and he took 57 balls before he registered the first of seven boundaries in his unbeaten 71.

The tourists, chasing the victory which would level the series, sprang a surprise before the start with Brendon McCullum confirming his sore back would prevent him from playing as a wicketkeeper and forcing New Zealand to give Gareth Hopkins his Test debut behind the stumps.

Despite speculation they were also due to change their attack, New Zealand chose to retain the same attack that played at Old Trafford and they wasted little time in making early inroads.

Essex left-hander Alastair Cook made just six before seamer Kyle Mills swung the ball into him and took out his leg stump off an inside edge in the sixth over.

New batsman Michael Vaughan endured a shaky start and was beaten by the first four balls he faced from Mills before he settled down by getting off the mark with a superbly-timed front foot cover drive for four off Chris Martin.

He followed that with a virtually identical shot for another boundary two balls later before flat-batting Martin through mid-off for another four in the same over.

But after progressing to 16 off just 22 balls, the England captain had his off-stump uprooted by seamer Iain O'Brien, who nipped the ball back through the gap between bat and pad as Vaughan attempted to drive off the front foot.

It left England on a perilous 44 for two and facing yet another sub-standard first innings batting display having gone 11 successive Tests without posting a total in excess of 400.

Andrew Strauss teamed up successfully with Pietersen to forge a 40-run stand but fell only six balls after lunch chasing a wide delivery from Mills which he edged to Ross Taylor at slip.

Ian Bell followed just six balls later when he shuffled across his stumps facing O'Brien and was hit in line with the stumps for a duck while Paul Collingwood suffered the same fate when he edged Mills to slip in the next over.

But Pietersen prevented England capitulating completely during an unbroken 94-run stand with Tim Ambrose, who was unbeaten on 36 at tea.

 

IS IT ME OR ARE ENGLAND RELYING ON PIETERSEN TOO MUCH?