 The little and large partnership proved very effective for England |
Kevin Pietersen believes England can forge a useful position after his 115 helped them to 273-7 on the opening day of the final Test against New Zealand. England, who lead the series 1-0, were in deep trouble at Trent Bridge before Pietersen rescued his side. "At 86-5 it looked like we were staring down the barrel a little bit," he said. "It was tricky to start with. The more I got in the more I could play shots but I didn't feel totally in, that's why I didn't take too many risks." Stuart Broad and James Anderson will resume the England innings on day two of the match, and Pietersen added: "If we get past 300 we can put them under pressure." The 27-year-old former Nottinghamshire player said he was pleased to have made such a significant contribution on such a challenging wicket. "If the wicket wasn't slow, we would have been in a whole lot of trouble," he said.  | I think it's probably honours even, we had them 86-5 but they got away on us, which was frustrating |
"It definitely seamed and nipped about all day, but because the wicket was slow, you were able to adjust. "I like to stand up for England and score runs when they count. I will feel a lot better when I get back knowing I have scored runs when we were in trouble. "It's nice to score runs when everything is good and happy. But I prefer to score runs when we really need them. "There have been a few centuries I have scored when England have been down in the dumps and it's something I pride myself on. "I like to be counted on days when it's been really tough, it's a good judge of character and is something I thrive on." The 6ft 4in batsman also praised the diminutive Ambrose, and said the nine-inch height difference between them helped disrupt the New Zealand bowlers' length and line. "You bat with somebody who is short and my lunge gets to the good of a length ball. Then they pull their length back for me and that's good for Timmy to cut," said Pietersen. "He's positive, a confident guy who goes out there and plays his shots and he's a cool guy to bat with because he's pretty chilled like me, we have some fun, have a laugh and keep as relaxed as we can." | 606: DEBATE |
New Zealand seamer Kyle Mills was content with his team's performance, as the wickets of Pietersen and Tim Ambrose (who had shared 161) in the final eight overs helped restore the balance of power. "I think it's probably honours even, we had them 86-5 but they got away on us, which was frustrating," he said. "I feel the bowlers hung in there throughout the day and it was nice to get a couple of wickets towards the end. "I find Pietersen a tough batsman to bowl to, he's always at you, walking down the wicket and outside off-stump while Ambrose is very strong square to the wicket. "They batted very well and showed if you give yourself an opportunity to get in there, there are runs to get on that wicket."
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