CRICKET/Ashes Tour: Kevin Pietersen has warned Australia's pace attack he is ready to take on the short delivery after coping with the threat of Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath on day two of England's tour game with New South Wales.
Pietersen was the star of an impressive batting performance from the tourists by finishing the day unbeaten on 80 as England, chasing 355, reached stumps on 256 for four.
Accomplished half-centuries for Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Pietersen, along with an unbeaten 48 by Andrew Flintoff, were welcome evidence that the batsmen, romping along at more than four runs an over, felt in no way intimidated by what may well be Australia's pace attack for the first Test.
Against that, though, there was a second flat-footed failure of the week by Marcus Trescothick, who was within a smidgin of being bowled by the first ball of the innings, and a horrible reprise of Ian Bell's Oval nightmare.
Bell's dismissal by Stuart Clark undid in a trice much of the good image created over the past year and reopened the debate about his technique and temperament.
Bell strode out purposefully on Strauss's dismissal. He drilled his first ball superbly to mid-on, albeit at the fielder, in a manner that indicated that his habit of hanging inside the line of the ball had been controlled and he was ready to make up for his humiliation in the last Ashes series, which he finished with a pair.
His second ball, from Clark, was nippy and outside off stump. Bell jabbed at it, reactively almost, an old habit brought into play perhaps by the nature of the opposition (you can bet that he was reminded of past failings).
The wicketkeeper, Daniel Smith, did the rest. Bell marched briskly from the arena, another nought on which to ponder and his first battle of the winter lost.
Already Trescothick had done little to dispel the Australian belief that he is a static batsman, reliant on a magnificent sense of timing and hand-eye co-ordination. That is a little unfair, because it is a fine line he treads between leaden-footedness (the impression he creates when he is out of sorts) and economy of effort when caning some of the world's best bowling.
Of all England's batsmen, it is Trescothick whose place has been most deeply etched on the team sheet. Now, though, with Cook a capable replacement at the top of the order should the situation demand, the doubts will start to appear.
Strauss has had a terrific year and has begun this tour with a blaze of boundaries. There were eight yesterday, including drives down the ground (generally a no-go area for him) as well as trademark cuts when allowed width. Clearly he enjoys the pacier pitches.
He had just reached his half-century with a textbook cover-drive when he clipped Clark's delivery firmly back and saw the bowler take a sharp reflex catch. He and Cook had added 86 for the second wicket, with the young batsman tucking the ball off his legs with aplomb and once pulling McGrath sumptuously.
The best, though, came in the final session when Pietersen and Flintoff added 90 in only 21 overs. This was Pietersen's first proper innings against an Australian side since his century at The Oval and he scarcely put a foot wrong here.
By the close, he had hit eight fours and two sixes, and Flintoff, batting with more certainty than he has shown since his return from injury, reached 48 with eight fours also ringing from his bat.
In an artificial match, the scores are an irrelevance. This was all about making statements, and England, for the most part, made theirs.
Guardian Service
New South Wales 355 for 9 dec (P Jaques 107, S M Katich 68, M Clarke 50, Harmison 3 for 93).
England First Innings
M Trescothick b Lee 8
A Strauss c & b Clark 50
A Cook lbw b McGrath 59
I Bell c Smith b Clark 0
K Pietersen not out 80
A Flintoff not out 48
Extras (lb3 w1 nb7) 11
Total 4 wkts (59 overs) ... 256
Fall: 1-9, 2-95, 3-95, 4-166.
Bowling: McGrath 11-1-41-1, Lee 10-1-54-1, Clark 11-0-34-2, Bracken 10-1-39-0, Henriques 3-0-24-0, Casson 11-1-50-0, Hauritz 3-1-11-0.
