Sport

Pietersen leads from the front

— PHOTO: AFP

UP, UP AND AWAY: 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 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. 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 forget his quick dismissal afterwards.

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 out for 194 on the first day of the fourth and final Test.

Pietersen was walking to the wicket sooner than he might have chosen because Ian Bell was caught at slip off Ntini’s fourth ball of the day. Frankly there was not much you would want to remember about the first two hours save for two shots down the ground by Pietersen. Both were 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 10 minutes before lunch when he launched a massive square 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. Jacques Kallis took three for 51 as England collapsed from 219 for three to 248 for seven. The new ball gave Ntini Stuart Broad’s wicket at 263 and his 18th five-wicket haul, but Steve Harmison’s highest Test score of 49 drove England to 316, enough to give Pietersen a win too.

SCOREBOARD

 South Africa — 1st innings: 194.

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 c & b Kallis 61, A. Flintoff c Boucher b Kallis 9, T. Ambrose c Smith b Kallis 4, S. Broad c McKenzie b Ntini 1, S. Harmison (not out) 49, J. Anderson lbw b Harris 13, M. Panesar (run out) 0; Extras (lb-4, nb-5, w-1) 10. Total (in 95.2 overs): 316.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-51, 3-111, 4-219, 5-233, 6-241, 7-248, 8-263, 9-316.

South Africa bowling: Morkel 22-3-78-0, Ntini 24-3-94-5, Nel 19.2-5-56-0, Kallis 15-2-51-3, Harris 15-4-33-1.

South Africa — 2nd innings: G. Smith lbw b Anderson 0, N. McKenzie (batting) 9, H. Amla (batting) 26; Extras (b-2) 2. Total (for one wkt. in nine overs): 37.

Fall of wicket: 1-0.

England bowling: Anderson 3-1-11-1, Harmison 3-0-13-0, Flintoff 2-0-11-0, Panesar 1-1-0-0.

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