Blow for England as Kevin Pietersen endures unhappy return

Batsman dismissed for 14 in his first Test here since being axed over ‘provocative’ texts while skipper Cook goes cheaply, too
PA
Tom Collomosse10 July 2013

Kevin Pietersen was out in the second over after lunch after failing to shine in his first Test innings in England for nearly a year.

The opening match of this Ashes series was Pietersen’s first appearance in a Test here since he was banished after the draw with South Africa at Headingley last August, for sending ‘provocative’ phone messages about then-captain Andrew Strauss to members of the opposition.

Pietersen made only 14 before he edged to second slip, giving Peter Siddle his second wicket.

Before the interval, Siddle bowled Ashes debutant Joe Root for 30 while James Pattinson struck the first blow of the series, picking up Alastair Cook after the England captain had won the toss.

Pietersen’s departure, caught by Aussie skipper Michael Clarke after a loose drive, brought Ian Bell to the crease and, with Jonathan Trott 48 not out, left England 124 for three.

The opening exchanges were fascinating and the intrigue began before the cricket started when Australia gave a Test debut to left-arm spinner Ashton Agar. The 19-year-old was playing for Henley in the Home Counties League only last month and made his first-class debut on January 24. He has taken part in just 10 first-class matches.

Agar was presented with his cap by Australia legend Glenn McGrath in a team huddle about an hour before the start of play. England chose to bat first, Cook opening with Root for the first time in a Test match.

Along with Agar, Steve Smith was also picked for his first Test in England, meaning David Warner was left out. However, the batsman fielded as a substitute today and later this week will be dispatched to Zimbabwe to link up with the Australia A squad.

Warner had been banned by Australian bosses from playing competitive cricket for a month prior to this match, after he punched Root in a Birmingham bar in the early hours of June 9.

For England, Steve Finn’s inclusion, ahead of Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions, could prove fruitful if there is uneven bounce on the Trent Bridge wicket as the match continues.

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Under a cloudy sky, Australia’s new-ball pair of Pattinson and Mitchell Starc found swing immediately but struggled with their lines in the opening overs. The first ball of the series, delivered by Pattinson, was a looping bouncer that was called wide by umpire Aleem Dar, while only wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s sharp work stopped the ball going for four byes down the leg side.

Yet Pattinson is regarded as one of the most promising Australian quicks of recent times and it was not long before he broke through.

Any young Australian bowler would settle for Cook as his first Ashes wicket. Pattinson had unsettled the England captain before tempting him to drive at a wide ball outside the off stump, and Cook was caught behind off an inside edge. His opening stand with Root was worth 27, but the dismissal extended Cook’s poor record at Trent Bridge, where he has never made a Test fifty and where he averages just less than 19.

On his Ashes debut, Root was watchful, while Trott played with greater freedom. He moved off the mark with a superb cover drive and then hit Agar’s first ball in Test cricket, a low full toss, through extra-cove for another boundary.

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Agar recovered quickly, though, and showed promise in his first spell. Tall and lean, he was brave enough to flight the ball, tempting the batsman to attack. There were no wickets in the first spell but there was encouragement for captain, bowler and coach Darren Lehmann.

Root and Trott have batted well together in international cricket so far and they registered a half-century stand here. Just when Root was beginning to settle, though, he was undone by a fine delivery.

Siddle’s first four-over spell cost 26 runs but when he was switched to the Radcliffe Road End, the reward was immediate. Siddle, who took a hat-trick in the opening Test of the last Ashes series in Australia, produced a late-swinging yorker that beat Root’s defence and cannoned into his off stump.

Though the conditions were favourable for bowling, Australia were not miserly or consistent enough with their lines or lengths. They could, however, have ensured Pietersen’s return to Test cricket in England ended very quickly.

Pattinson strayed down the leg side, the batsman attempted to glance to the fine-leg boundary and Haddin dived for it. The wicketkeeper appeared to have made the ground but at the last minute, the ball dipped below his glove and scurried away for four.

Pietersen hit his first boundary in the final over before lunch, pouncing on a short ball from Starc and whipping it through midwicket off the back foot. Trott showed no mercy whenever the bowlers strayed on to his pads and at lunch, he was 37 not out, with Pietersen unbeaten on 10.

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