Headingley draw will be scant reward for star man Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen and Alviro Petersen, South Africans both but on opposite sides, have been the dominant forces of the Headingley Test, a Test which, barring a sequence of events spectacular even for this ground, will drift to a draw later today.

Pietersen’s 149, a score as synonymous with Headingley as poker-faced stewards and high jinks in the West Stand, propelled England to 425 and a first innings lead of six.

Petersen’s 182, the equivalent of lighting a few sparklers in comparison to the full firework display delivered by his namesake, underpinned South Africa’s 419, with only Matt Prior and Graeme Smith having also passed fifty in the fixture.

A draw would ensure England go into the final Test at Lord’s on Thursday week still with a chance of retaining their No 1 ranking.

England must at least share the series to prevent the tourists stealing their crown, which has weighed heavily on their heads following a run of five defeats in nine games.

But stalemate in Leeds would be scant reward for the performance of Pietersen, who may not be top of the world batting rankings but whose innings was surely beyond the scope of anyone else on the planet.

It improved his Test record at Headingley to 584 runs in four games at 97.33 – figures that would be positively Bradman-esque but for the fact the Leeds venue was Bradman’s most prolific in Test cricket, The Don scoring 963 runs from the same number of matches at 192.60, including two triple-hundreds.

Those hoping for something similarly sizeable from Pietersen yesterday were frustrated when the great man succumbed to the second ball of the morning.

Morne Morkel, bowling from the Kirkstall Lane end, shaped one into the pads and Pietersen was pinned as he attempted to whip through mid-wicket.

Rarely has a batsman left the field to such a booming ovation having failed to add to his overnight score.

Pietersen, however, deserved the applause, his innings having completely changed the complexion of the contest.

With Pietersen back in the pavilion, the onus shifted on to Matt Prior to try to gain England a first innings lead.

They trailed by 68 at the start of the day with five wickets left but Prior was soon making inroads into the deficit after resuming on 20.

With Pietersen-esque power, Dale Steyn was contemptuously dismissed to the cover boundary and Morkel deftly manipulated to the fine-leg rope.

The wicketkeeper went to his fifty from 66 balls with seven fours in conditions still conducive to batting, with Headingley bathed in glorious sunshine and the pitch bereft of the gremlins of yore.

However, Prior could find no one to stay with him as he sought to build on Pietersen’s wondrous work. Tim Bresnan, cheered every step of the way to the crease by the partisan Yorkshire crowd, made nine runs before edging Vernon Philander to first slip, where Graeme Smith took a good low catch.

Stuart Broad managed only a single before gifting Imran Tahir his first wicket of the innings, skying the leg-spinner to mid-wicket, where substitute fielder Faf du Plessis claimed an impressive catch over his shoulder.

Prior then succumbed two balls after James Anderson had given England the lead by edging Steyn to the third man boundary.

When Tahir tossed one up on to his pads, Prior swept into the grateful hands of Steyn at long-leg, having scored 68 from 89 balls with eight fours.

The innings ended when Anderson, one ball after sweeping Tahir for four, tried to thump him through the leg-side and was bowled.

Tahir finished with 3-92 from 23.4 overs – figures that flattered him at a venue where Shane Warne managed only three Test wickets in as many games at an average of 89.33.

With sunshine having been replaced by ominous cloud, South Africa started their second innings fifteen minutes before lunch.

They had time only to advance to 5-0 before a violent storm drove the players from the field, causing a delay of exactly two hours.

During that time, Andy Fogarty and his ground staff removed 2,880 gallons – the equivalent of 32 Super Soppers full of water.

It was a remarkable effort, and one England’s bowlers were unable to emulate when the players returned, Jacques Rudolph and Smith – the latter batting despite an injured left knee – lifting the total to 39 before further rain brought a premature end at 5.15pm.

With 59.2 overs lost yesterday there would seem little chance of a positive result, although Prior insisted England had not given up hope.

“Hopefully it will be a lovely overcast day and hoop around and we’ll pick up 10 wickets and whoop, holler and party the night away,” said Prior, although it remains to be seen whether England would need 10 wickets in any case given that Jacques Kallis is suffering with lower back spasms.

“But there are probably only two possible results now – a draw or an England win.”

Prior also paid tribute to Pietersen, describing him as “a freak – an unbelievable batter”, but would not be drawn on the player’s future.

Pietersen is at loggerheads with the England management over their unwillingness to let him play international Twenty20 cricket following his retirement from one-day internationals, while there is speculation about whether he will sign ­– or even be offered – a new central contract.

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