New Zealand wins 1st ODI

Ross Taylor showed calm class and Kyle Mills combined with bat and ball, but New Zealand had to wait until the last delivery to hand Australia their fourth loss in a row and gain a 1-0 lead in the Chappell-Hadlee Series. Taylor guided the tentative chase of the home team's below-par 181 and carried an order of novices before Daniel Vettori sealed the success with a glide behind point.

The timing of New Zealand's batting Powerplay was crucial - it came with eight overs to go - as they went from heading towards a troubling loss to redirecting course. Mills, who had already earned four wickets, picked up consecutive boundaries off Nathan Bracken (3 for 38) in a 12-run over that was followed by 11 from Shaun Tait, including a brave six swiped over midwicket by Taylor.

There was a late shift when Mills went for 26 from 35 balls and Taylor was caught by Michael Clarke for 64 off 97. With three wickets left, the visitors required nine from the final two overs and five from the last, losing Tim Southee before Vettori's poise.

Taylor's enthusiastic attitude brought some energy to the pursuit that was ailing at 3 for 25 in the 14th over and there were plenty of moments of doubt throughout. He was missed at third man on 15 by Mitchell Johnson, but his innings will be remembered for the Tait six, some fine cover drives and his desire to look for singles at every opportunity.

In a match that was excruciatingly ugly at times and gripping at others, Australia's batting was awful and New Zealand's was only slightly better. There were mistakes made at the WACA from players and officials that would not have been acceptable in the World Cricket League Division 3, where Afghanistan and Uganda finished on top. However, the bowling was a lot better than the standard at that tournament in Argentina, especially the work of Mills and Bracken.

New Zealand overcame two horrible moments in their chase, starting with Brendon McCullum being given out lbw despite a thick edge from the second ball of the innings off Tait. In the 36th over Neil Broom was "bowled" on 29 by Clarke after sharing a positive stand of 42 with Taylor. Not only did Brad Haddin's gloves come in front of the stumps, but he knocked off the bails and the ball did not seem to hit the wickets. Vettori was also involved in a tight run-out call but survived late in the game.

Life was hard for the visiting batsmen but three of the top order did not help their chances of success. The opener Martin Guptill's 13 took up 33 balls as the side started with extreme caution. Peter Fulton, who was even more of a tortoise than Guptill with 7 off 35, was the victim of a sensational caught-and-bowled from Johnson and then Grant Elliott spent 31 balls over 8 as the pressure increased on Taylor. He coped with it like it happens every week.

Mills provided the spark for New Zealand as they added to Australia's month of pain. Ricky Ponting's side lost the No. 1 ranking with their defeat to South Africa on Friday and there was no sign of recovery as the top order crumbled again at the WACA. Australia did worse than their 4 for 53 two days ago by slumping to 5 for 54 on a pitch Ponting said was ideal for batting after winning the toss.

A mix of loose shots, tight bowling from Mills and Vettori, and awful running contributed to the severe problems. Not only did the wickets fall quickly and early, but the batsmen also found it incredibly difficult to score at much more than two an over until Michael Hussey was joined by Haddin.

Mills was excellent over three spells and gained 4 for 35 as he ensured the innings finished eight balls early. Vettori is always a threat for Australia but was virtually impossible to get away as he gave up only 22 from ten overs in a fabulous display.

Hussey followed his breakthrough 78 on Friday with a measured 49 - he didn't have much choice considering the situation - and Australia were thankful for his effort. He pulled a six off Jeetan Patel and struck only one four, an off drive from Mills, before miscuing to mid-off.

Australia's troubles were highlighted by Ponting and Clarke, the two most senior players. They were too keen to show their aggression and made poor choices when chasing unachievable twos to the deep and were run out with the side already in trouble.

Australia Wins 3rd Test Despite Smith's Courageous Show

For the second consecutive year Australia have pulled off a last-minute victory in the Sydney Test, this time despite a courageous and painful batting effort from the injured Graeme Smith. Last season it was Michael Clarke who bowled Australia home nine minutes from stumps and on this occasion Mitchell Johnson picked up the final wicket with five minutes remaining to give Australia a consolation win that left the series ledger a little less lopsided at 2-1.

The last breakthrough came when Johnson nipped a ball back off a crack in the wearing pitch to bowl Smith, who had been incredibly gutsy in coming to the crease at No. 11 with a broken left hand and a right elbow so sore he said he could barely brush his teeth in the morning. Smith survived for 29 minutes with Makhaya Ntini as he aimed to salvage a draw but every fast ball he faced drew winces around the ground as he quickly released his left hand and gritted his teeth.

It was difficult to watch but an appropriate end to a series that has for three weeks been impossible to look away from. When Smith strode to the crease to a standing ovation it was after a 75-minute partnership between Ntini and Dale Steyn that looked like creating a fitting coda for a series in which tails have wagged and Australia seemed to have forgotten how to win. The feeling only increased when Matthew Hayden put down a sitter at slip to reprieve Ntini with half an hour left.

But when it mattered Australia's new-look attack, which had come together as the team's reputation diminishes, did manage to hold onto a No. 1 ranking that was a legacy of past champion sides. Led by the Man of the Match Peter Siddle, they were toiling on the sort of cracking surface that might have brought carnage in the Warne-McGrath years, when Australia would more likely have been chasing a clean-sweep rather than trying to prevent one.

This year the home team entered the day with the series already lost and needing nine wickets from Siddle, Johnson, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and Andrew McDonald. All played a part, and McDonald's lbw to remove Steyn was a particularly key moment.

As the bowlers have discovered all summer, it's not easy being green. In the words of Kermit the Frog, green blends in with so many ordinary things and Australia's once extraordinary attack was starting to look run-of-the-mill. Under serious pressure to deliver, especially in the final session, they eventually achieved their goal.

Siddle, who had picked up five wickets in the first innings, was again a handful with his speed and lift. Bollinger found a hint of swing and set up the victory with the first two strikes of the innings. Hauritz turned the ball more than he has in years and McDonald was naggingly accurate. The most pleasing thing for Ricky Ponting was that the even contributions meant he did not have to break the back of Johnson, the veteran of the group in his 18th Test.

The young attack will take plenty of confidence from the result ahead of the tour of South Africa. The South African batsmen have lifted their team out of enough holes on this tour but on this occasion the craters in the pitch were inescapable. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla scored half-centuries and each looked for a while like he might be the rescuer but the task was slightly too great.

Siddle's three strikes turned Australia's position from good to powerful. He was lucky to have Mark Boucher lbw to a ball that would have missed leg stump but earned the wickets of de Villiers, who was bowled for 56, and Paul Harris, with fast and straight bowling. It was the same method Johnson used to remove Smith and, earlier in the day, JP Duminy, who was lbw for 16.

Duminy and de Villiers, the heroes in Perth, had steadied with a 56-run stand after Australia struck three times before lunch. The loss of the well set Amla in the fifties for the third time in the series was a big blow. Amla had played well for 59, his best score of the three Tests, only to squeeze a Hauritz offbreak onto his pad and to short leg.

It compounded South Africa's problems after the early departures of Neil McKenzie, who chased a wide one from Bollinger, and Jacques Kallis, who came to the crease needing 16 to reach 10,000 Test runs and will fly home still 12 runs short. Kallis tried to work McDonald to leg and his leading edge popped up towards the middle of the pitch, where McDonald hurled himself to his right to grab a brilliant one-hander that after inconclusive replays was adjudged to have not included a touch of the ball on the ground.

It turned out to be one of those days when things just didn't go South Africa's way. They lost the match and failed to claim the No. 1 ranking but as they sprayed champagne with the series trophy in hand after the loss, it was a timely reminder that their job was done before this match even began. Besides, any sort of win in the return series in South Africa will give them the No. 1 spot. Unlike in the dying stages at the SCG, time is on their side.

RSA need 314 Runs to beat Australia in Sydney Test

Ricky Ponting is not known for his generosity to opposition teams but his sporting declaration has set up a fascinating final day at the SCG, where South Africa need 314 more runs with nine wickets in hand. The match is a dead rubber but that's a deceptive term; a South African victory will bounce them up to the No. 1 Test ranking and Ponting would go down in history as the first captain to lead Australia to a 0-3 loss at home.

However, for that to happen South Africa would need their third miracle of the series, almost enough to push for sainthood, and with Graeme Smith unlikely to bat their task is even tougher. Still, by Ponting's conservative standards his decision to set the visitors 376 in nearly four full sessions was a brave one. This was a team that had chased 414 in Perth. Ponting had found the cracking surface easier than it looked in posting a half-century and Hashim Amla and Neil McKenzie also seemed relatively comfortable after coming together at 1 for 2.

Morne Morkel was an odd choice to open in the absence of the injured Smith and it was a plan that took only two balls to fail. Morkel spooned his second delivery to mid-on to give Doug Bollinger his first Test wicket but it was the only reason for Australia to cheer in the final two hours. Amla and McKenzie were tested by balls that jagged off the cracks but they showed impressive concentration to survive and post a 60-run partnership.

Brad Haddin put down a tough chance diving to his right when Amla was on 5 and it could yet prove a costly miss on a day when Australia had until then tightened their hold on the match. It was also a day when Matthew Hayden's grip on his position at the top of the order weakened further. Hayden came into the game dead-batting speculation that it could be his final appearance but his inability to post a half-century in the home Tests has left him vulnerable. He did manage 39 in this innings and it was the first time this summer that he has scored more than his age, but openers are not there to post handy 30s.

A few cracking drives and clips over leg hinted at a change of form but the teasing moments have been there all series and reality kicked back in when he tried to launch Morkel over mid-on and inside-edged onto his stumps. As he walked off the ground to a standing ovation, with onlookers eagle-eyed for any tip-off that he might retire, a small bat-raise was the only clue that it could have been his farewell. There was no cause for celebration but he had at least helped Australia move closer to a win or a draw.

Ponting, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey all made contributions after Hayden departed but Australia's effort was not breathtaking, it was more an innings than meandered like the snaking crack around which the batsmen played. The out-of-form Hussey was pleased not to lose his wicket and he finished unbeaten on 45, having struck a couple of boundaries that would bring him confidence.

The declaration came when Clarke holed out to Paul Harris for 41, ending a 76-run stand with Hussey that had begun when Katich was lbw for 61. It was a strange dismissal: Dale Steyn came around the wicket and struck Katich in line but made no appeal whatsoever. However, Mark Boucher asked the question and Asoka de Silva made the fair call that the ball would have hit leg stump, surprising not only the batsman but the bowler as well.

Katich's innings was a tough grind, for him and the spectators. Early in the day he faced five consecutive maidens from Jacques Kallis and it took him 40 balls and nearly an hour to tick his score over from 17 to 18. Ponting was the only batsman who looked truly comfortable with the breaking surface and he launched nine boundaries, including some classic pulls and back-foot drives.

He had come to the crease on a king pair and nearly completed it when he tried to leave his first delivery from Morkel but didn't get the bat out of the way and the edge flew past the stumps and off to the boundary. Eventually it was an inside edge off Morkel that did for Ponting on 53 and he headed inside to ponder declaration times. Overnight he may wish he'd pondered for a bit longer.

India Rejects 2009 Champions Trophy

The Indian board has rejected suggestions made during the ICC's chief executives' committee meeting in Dubai on Wednesday to conduct the Champions Trophy in October 2009 because it will clash with the "very important" one-day series at home against Australia. The issue now passes to the ICC Board, which meets on Thursday.

"We have said that the Champions Trophy in October will not be possible for us since we are hosting Australia at that time," Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said "The one-day series against Australia is a very important fixture for us. It has been scheduled and we can't do anything about it. All the boards will have to find another solution or window for the Champions Trophy."

The BCCI is planning to hold the first of the seven one-day matches against Australia on October 13, three days after the conclusion of the Champions Twenty20 League, which it is organising along with Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa (CSA).

The ICC board had, on August 24, decided to postpone the Champions Trophy that was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan from September 12 after five of the eight participating nations expressed security concerns about the host country. David Morgan, the ICC president, said "it was considered prudent to postpone the event to October 2009, a time when we all hope conditions may be more acceptable for all the competing teams".

The concept of an alternative structure to bilateral tours, including an enhanced Test championship, with the ICC taking a greater central "ownership" of the programme, was also discussed at Wednesday's meeting. However, sources said it did not appear to make much headway during the CEC meeting with a number of boards unconvinced about the idea, especially about the extent of their ownership and role under such an arrangement.

The concept was kicked off during the ICC annual conference in Dubai in July, and Cricket Australia was entrusted with the job of coming up with a plan. The key considerations were: all three formats of international cricket should be protected and promoted with Test cricket identified as the pinnacle of the sport; "icon" Test series must be protected; ICC should look at ways of taking greater central "ownership" of international cricket outside its events or at least providing for more consistency in marketing/promotion; and the concept of a Test Championship and/or play-off should be explored further.

India Wins Idea Cup

India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka's feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island, completing a stunning turnaround from the crushing defeat in the opener in Dambulla. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front with his batting and on-field captaincy but this was a team performance as India recovered from a shaky start to choke Sri Lanka out of the match.

It turned out to be a great toss for Dhoni to win: Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis would have been virtually unplayable if they got to bowl second, and India's strategy of going in with four bowlers would also have been exposed. It didn't initially seem that way as India's top order floundered in the face of some disciplined bowling. There were no yorkers, no bouncers and no slower balls, just old-fashioned line-and-length to slow down the openers - only four boundaries came in the first ten overs. Kohli survived a couple of early chances before he started to grow in confidence.

At the other end, Gambhir was starved of the strike and perished when attempting to up the run-rate. That brought Yuvraj Singh to the crease for a short, troubled and runless stay. Chaminda Vaas became the fourth man to take 400 wickets in ODIs when Yuvraj was too early on an offcutter and edged it to short midwicket. Kohli unleashed some wristy shots to bring up his maiden half-century but soon paid the price for playing away from his body, an inside edge on to his stumps giving Thushara a wicket in his first over.

The score read 81 for 3 before Suresh Raina and Dhoni took charge. Both were decisive with their footwork, regularly charging down the track to negate the spin, or playing right back and reading the spin off the pitch. The running between the wickets was sharp, and with Raina playing some breathtaking lofted drives, the stuttering run-rate got a lift.

They batted sensibly, cutting out the risks, and it wasn't until India were out of trouble that the more chancy strokes - the reverse-sweep and the paddle-sweep - were brought out. While Raina played the big shots, including a massive pull for six over midwicket off Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni was content with some quick singles and twos - there were only four boundaries in his 71.

The spin threat was negated and the pair had powered India to a commanding 224 for 3 in the 41st over before Thushara struck. He had Raina holing out to mid-off and dismissed a tiring Dhoni soon after, leaving two new batsmen to deal with the wiles of Murali and Ajantha Mendis. They throttled the runs, which resulted in more wickets falling, and Thilan Thushara, who had never taken more than two wickets in an ODI before, took two in the final over to complete his five-for.

The tricky target didn't seem enough as Sanath Jayasuriya started in a typically murderous mood , using his favourite cut shot to pepper the off-side boundary. As he made merry, his partner Malinda Warnapura toiled at the other end. Warnapura scratched around without scoring before finally being adjudged lbw off Munaf Patel for 0 in the seventh over.

Munaf combined well with the accurate Zaheer Khan, who kept it on a back of a length around off, to stifle the runs and with only 10 runs coming in six overs, Kumar Sangakkara went for his shots. There was a cover drive for four, but his next stroke was an attempted cut, which took the bottom-edge and cannoned into his leg stump.

Jayasuriya then took over. Boundaries started to flow in every over: a bouncer on leg stump was pulled over deep backward square leg for six, and an over-the-bowler's-head drive off Praveen. The fifty came up with a pull over midwicket for four and he repeated the shot two balls later, this time for six. He had made 60 of Sri Lanka's 74 before an outside edge off a sharply turning Harbhajan Singh delivery was superbly held by a diving Raina at slip.

Sri Lanka's hopes, as it has in several matches this series, rested with their captain, Mahela Jayawardene, but he was soon run out attempting a suicidal single. That left them at stuttering at 104 for 4, with all their big-name batsmen dismissed. The pitch had by now deteriorated to the extent that even a part-time spinner like Yuvraj was difficult to negotiate. Thushara followed up his five-wicket haul with a spirited 40 but it was too tall a task for the lower order and they ended up 46 runs short.

India Wins by 33 Runs — 2nd ODI

For the second game in succession, an inspired opening spell by India's seam attack of Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar brought a powerful batting line-up to its knees. A middle-of-the-road target of 238 was always going to be competitive under lights but a flurry of early wickets before effectively sealed the match before the first Powerplay ended. Both captains arrested top-order slides with fighting half-centuries, but his bowlers made Mahendra Singh Dhoni's effort count in the end.

For Sri Lanka, only Mahela Jayawardene displayed the technique and temperament to craft a lengthy innings and though he had Thilan Thushara for company to give his side a glimmer of hope, their partnership came a little too late. Jayawardene fell six short of a deserved century when a paddle scoop ended his knock and with it, Sri Lanka's last chance of snatching a miracle.
The pre-match talk centered around the better batting conditions at the Premadasa Stadium when compared to the two-paced surface in Dambulla. Though the conditions were a shade easier to bat on in the afternoon, it got considerably challenging under lights as the seamers managed swing and nip off the pitch while the spinners got turn and bounce.

While the swing was hard enough for the batsmen to negotiate under lights, the nagging stump-to-stump line was largely responsible for the spurt of lbw decisions early on. Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedera and Chamara Silva were all trapped as the trigger-happy umpires wasted no time in pondering over the appeals.

Sanath Jayasuriya whiplashed Praveen for boundaries over his favoured off side region but perished after edging an away swinger off the same bowler. Zaheer relied more on hitting the deck hard and like in Dambulla, squared up Sangakkara with one that nipped back in and struck him high on the pad.

Kapugedera began confidently with a clipped six over square leg off Praveen but paid the price for shuffling too far across his stumps. Silva became the third lbw victim of the evening, this time to Zaheer, trapped in front of middle stump to one that straightened. Tillakaratne Dilshan, tied down by the seamers' nagging accuracy, feathered an edge to Dhoni off Munaf Patel.

All the while, Jayawardene cut a lonely figure. The revival began when Thushara joined him in the middle. Runs were hard to come by initially but Jayawardene was probably mindful of India's weak link - the fifth bowler. With the field spread out and the ball getting softer, Jayawardene placed faith in his partner by rotating the strike.

Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma conceded 46 off nine combined overs as Sri Lanka added 50 runs between overs 37 and 43. Thushara regularly made room to loft the ball over vacant spaces and the anxiety began to tell on the Indian fielders as they dropped catches off Thushara and Jayawardene. Zaheer returned to york Thushara to end the 81-run eighth-wicket stand, and when Munaf sent back Jayawardene, the contest was all but over.

Sri Lanka will no doubt look back at where they let the initiative slip. After reducing India to 97 for 4 at the halfway stage, two fifty partnerships - with Dhoni the central figure in both - resurrected the innings after another jerky start. The significant factor in India's recovery in the middle overs was that the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis was negated fairly comfortably. Though Mendis ended with three wickets, two of those came at the fag end of the innings. Murali, on the other hand, had a forgettable wicketless outing.

Once again, Dhoni walked in to bat with the Indian innings wobbling. Often he has played a lone hand, but this time Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma offered excellent support. Raina needed runs, and with his captain for company, accumulated steadily with the spinners operating from both ends, and never at any stage did the Indians get bogged down. Dhoni was comfortable against Mendis, committing himself forward to smother the spin of the full-length deliveries, but when the length was short, he rocked back and cut and pulled for runs.

Raina, too, was fleet-footed against the spinners, nudging, flicking and driving Muralitharan for singles in his workmanlike knock. Using his feet, he drove the same bowler to the extra-cover boundary before edging towards his sixth ODI fifty, which came off 75 balls. The running between wickets was excellent throughout, but ironically, it was a run-out that ended the 54-run partnership.

Dhoni was fortunate to find an equally able partner in Rohit, who calmly rotated the strike. Short of runs over the last few innings, Rohit grafted initially before taking his chances against the spinners. The partnership came at a quicker rate than the Dhoni-Raina stand, with the pair bringing up their fifty stand in 55 balls. Dhoni brought up his own half-century off 64 balls and celebrated it with successive boundaries off Murali, using his feet well on both occasions. Just when a score in excess of 250 seemed likely, Sri Lanka struck. Rohit fell while attempting a slog off Thushara, after which the wickets continued to fall. Dhoni was dismissed in the 49th over, scooping to cover for a 80-ball 76 and in the end his efforts didn't got to waste.

England Wins Headinglley ODI

Kevin Pietersen is having quite an impact as England captain. If it wasn't enough winning his first Test and persuading Steve Harmison out of one-day retirement, he then did more than most to help his team take a series lead against South Africa with a 20-run victory at Headingley. He hit an unbeaten 90 off 82 balls, adding 158 in 21 overs with Andrew Flintoff, then claimed two crucial wickets as the visitors threatened to pull away in the run chase.

England's latest attempt to form a winning one-day unit comes with Pietersen's stamp of aggression, hence the trend towards pace bowling and hard-hitting, free-scoring batsmen. For two thirds of their innings, though, little appeared to have changed as just five fours a six came in 34 overs - all from Matt Prior's bat. However, England banked on having a middle-order filled with strikers and in Pietersen and Flintoff, they possess two of the most destructive one-day batsmen around. The pair crunched 94 off the last 10 overs, showing what can be achieved with wickets in hand, as South Africa's bowling became ragged and the fielding was poor.

In contrast to England's sedate approach, South Africa went hard at the start of their chase and put themselves ahead of the rate, reaching 139 for 2 after 25 overs. However, everything changed when Pietersen surprisingly brought himself onto bowl. By the end of the innings he'd doubled his one-day wicket tally after getting AB de Villiers caught at midwicket and benefiting from a swift piece of glovework from Prior to stump Mark Boucher.

It wasn't just with the ball that Pietersen shone during the second innings, his captaincy had a touch of the magic about it, too. In the eighth over, Pietersen turned to Harmison and it took him less than an over to strike when he hit the perfect line to take Smith's outside edge with his fourth delivery. Flintoff wasn't quite the metronome he can be and was picked off by Jacques Kallis, but then Pietersen dipped into his captain's handbook and pulled out another trick.

Holding back the final Powerplay, he brought Samit Patel into the attack with his left-arm spin and it proved a master stroke. Patel's fourth ball was quicker and flatter, beating Gibbs as he lent back to cut. Patel's first ODI wicket was Neil McCallum, against Scotland last week, but with all due respect to the Scots this one will have meant a little more.

However, Kallis and de Villiers moved along comfortably in their third-wicket stand of 49 in 11 overs. Then de Villiers flicked lazily to Ian Bell and, shortly after reaching fifty off 63 balls, Kallis, struggling with a leg problem, was run out by some quick thinking by Bell. Boucher showed in the Test series, at Edgbaston, that he is ideal in a run chase but his opposite number, Prior, was very alert to a raised foot.

JP Duminy had the skill to guide South Africa home, but Harmison came back to find a thin outside and Johan Botha holed out at deep midwicket. The lower order, without the injured Albie Morkel, didn't have the power to keep up and Flintoff just had time to remind everyone that he's meant to be the main allrounder in the team.

England's success showed that there is more than one way to play one-day cricket, especially in their conditions, even though the new-look top three seemed to drift as more than half the innings came and went. Bell, after batting through 19 overs, and Prior after 42 off 52 balls both picked out backward point off Kallis and Owais Shah top-edged to deep square-leg.

Flintoff ignited the innings when he found the boundary in the 35th over, the first man other than Prior to locate the rope, and initially Pietersen was happy to feed him the strike. The change of ball at the 34-over mark helped England, the harder one making it easier to use the pace of South Africa's attack. Flintoff opened his front leg to hit strongly through the off side, and also rifled the ball with the straight power that typifies his batting when he's at his best. He reached fifty off 52 deliveries, his first half-century since the unbeaten 72 he made against New Zealand, at Hobart, in January 2007 and, when he was bowled moving across his stumps to Dale Steyn, his 78 was his highest ODI innings since making 87 against Australia, at Lord's, in 2005.
Pietersen was fortunate to survive an lbw shout off Botha on 18, and was close to being run out on 22 when he dived for the crease, the third umpire ruling the bat had just been grounded before it then bounced up as the stumps were broken. He eventually earned his first boundary off his 52nd delivery, but had a clear mindset on what he wanted to achieve, and then began to invent as he went to a fifty from 55 balls. He timed his charge and took 10 off two balls from Steyn in the 46th over, including the second six of the innings over midwicket.

What Pietersen is quickly realising is that his job now doesn't stop with the bat and his role in the field is just as important. It's a learning experience and he's learning fast. At some point life will get tougher for him, but today wasn't that moment.