Ashes 2010: Kevin Pietersen put England on top on third day of Adelaide Test
England were in a supreme position on day three of the second Ashes Test match, having cornered the Australians at the Adelaide Oval. Thanks to the heroics of double-centurion Kevin Pietersen, England were able to score 551 runs
for the loss of four wickets by the end of the day, with Pietersen and Ian Bell still at the crease. England had a lead of 306 runs, and it was going to take a mammoth effort from Australian players to bounce back from the situation.
England resumed play from their overnight score of 317-2, and were looking set to take a crucial lead in the Test match. The conditions for batting were ideal and a decent spell of bowling was required from Australia to minimize
the lead as much as possible.
But this was not to be, for the Aussies. Pietersen, who had been on 85 not out by the end of the second day, now took his score forward and turned it into a double century. It was the second double century by an English batsman
in the series, and a big comeback for Pietersen, who had not scored a Test century for over a year.
Alastair Cook was the other centurion for England – he was carrying on from his overnight score of 136 not out and was looking good to score another double century, until he was dismissed for 148 in the 96th over by
Ryan Harris. It was Harris’s first wicket of the morning.
A 101-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Pietersen and Paul Collingwood took England’s lead to 200. Collingwood was due for some runs, and in his innings of 42, he played some good shots, including five boundaries.
He was eventually dismissed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326, who trapped him leg-before-wicket. This wicket and Harris’s dismissal of Cook were the only two moments of relief for the Aussie bowlers, none of whom were able to create a massive difference with the ball. Another centurion
partnership arose immediately after Collingwood’s dismissal. Pietersen and Bell shared 116 runs between them for the fifth wicket. Bell played well for his 41 not out, and again showed his good technique in the middle. He and Pietersen were still at the crease
by the end of the day.
An impressive innings from Pietersen was long due, and his 213 not out – his highest Test score yet – was a reminder of just what this cricketer is truly capable of. There was a lot of speculation before the Ashes series began
this year that Pietersen would struggle with his performance, but this innings of his will have silenced all his critics. During his double-hundred knock, he struck a lot of impressive boundaries, and could not be contained by any bowler. He was particularly
harsh on Xavier Doherty, off whom he struck nine boundaries, punishing him all around the stadium. This hitting in every possible direction was a shining feature of Pietersen’s performance in general – although he favoured the offside and midwicket region
when it came to boundaries.
For http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, it was yet another disappointing day of cricket – they only managed to take two English wickets during the whole day. While credit must be given to Harris for bowling good length in his deliveries and testing the
batsmen in his spells, it was Doherty who was the major disappointment, as he gave away a lot of runs.
To make matters worse for Australia, opening batsman Simon Katich suffered an injury during play, adding to his team’s worries even more.
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