The England batsman scratched his way to nine in the first innings but looked to be digging in the second time around. However, he was out for 22 when Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal brilliantly caught him off an inside edge.
But no top four batsmen on either side at Trent Bridge made a fifty and Flower said, “Most batsmen looked a little iffy against that swinging ball but it wasn’t only swinging - there was a little movement off the pitch as well.
“Kevin did look better towards the end of the second innings, and that time in the middle is very important for any batsman - so I am glad he spent as long as he did at the crease both for his own good and the good of the team.
“He was one of those who made a contribution up the order. Facing those deliveries in the first innings for 10 overs meant that Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood didn’t have to face the swing bowling for those 10 overs - and they were given a lighter load in the afternoon against spin.”
Pietersen’s cause has not been helped by an Achilles injury which forced him to miss most of England’s Ashes series win in 2009, and more recently, a thigh problem which meant he arrived at Trent Bridge not having played a match since July 3.
Adding to those difficulties, his announcement he was leaving county side Hampshire at the end of the season has led the south coast club into the unsurprising position of refusing to pick Pietersen even on the rare occasions when he is available.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2010.
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