Kevin Pietersen has dug himself out of an uncharacteristically lean run of form on day one of England’s first Test of the current series against Bangladesh, but has fallen agonisingly short of making his first Test century in 12 months.
After accumulating 99 runs off 135 balls, including 15 fours and one six, left-armed slow bowler Abdur Razzak struck, spinning a delivery past the edge of Pietersen’s bat and into off stump.
Just when it looked as though KP was about to notch a century and silence the doubters. Just when it seemed he’d laid to rest, at least for the moment, questions about his abilities against the left-armed spinners.
But while Pietersen’s disappointment at his failure to reach triple figures was obvious as he left the field, they were 99 important runs. While it might be premature to hail a return to form for the Hampshire player against cricketing minnows Bangladesh, should he have failed to produce a notable knock in the Test series surely that would have placed a genuine question mark over his spot in the starting XI ahead of the Ashes later in the year.
The flamboyant batsman’s struggle to make runs since his return from an Achilles injury for England’s tour of South Africa has been well documented but further failure in the Tests against Bangladesh would have seen still more ink spilled in aid of analysing the South African-born player’s slump.
There was, of course, the runs, or lack thereof. There’s no shame in a score of 69 in any form of cricket but when that was the cumulative total of Pietersen’s efforts with the bat in seven innnings on England’s tour of Bangladesh leading into the Test series, it was a cue for the microscope to be put squarely on the former captain’s performance.
In the ODI series, Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons thought he had the answer with his left-armed spinners. Across his career, Pietersen has displayed a certain vulnerability to slow left-armers, but when the runs are flowing this c***k in his armour is more easily ignored.
In Bangladesh, Siddons was hoping bowlers in this mould such as Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak would again prove the early undoing of the 29-year-old, whose last Test century was against the West Indies at Port of Spain in March 2009. It took 99 runs for Siddon’s plan to work, but work it ultimately did.
Since last March, Pietersen had made just two Test half centuries. His most recent was his second innings 81 in the first Test of England’s 2009/10 series against South Africa but just when it looked as though he’d hit his straps after a prolonged injury layoff scores of 31, zero, six, seven and 12 followed in the next three Tests of the series.
He’ll likely still have to wait for that next Test ton after Chittagong – where England look to be on their way to a total that won’t require too many century makers if they do bat again – but he’s now at least compiled a knock that put him in touching distance of it.
Team director Andy Flower had retained confidence in his man even as he floundered in South Africa, and as he failed again and again in the ODIs and tour matches in Bangladesh, knowing that in Pietersen there is a world-class batting talent hiding in there somewhere.
But even for Flower, there would have surely come a time when that knowledge simply wouldn’t have been enough. KP’s now given the Zimbabwean 99 reasons to keep the faith.
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