Pietersen engineers resounding win

Kevin Pietersen jumps for joy after notching his sixth ton in one-day international games

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Kevin Pietersen’s remarkable innings led England to an emphatic 114-run victory over New Zealand in the opening match of the NatWest Series at Chester-le-Street.

His 110 not out was his sixth one-day international century and first on English soil, and it guided England to 307 for five, a total far beyond the reach of a poor Black Caps side.

Pietersen was not always at his most fluent, but amongst his 11 boundaries there were two identical sixes that stood out for their sheer audacity and strength.

Twice he reverse-slog-swept Scott Styris over extra cover, in doing so, changing his grip and stance to that of a left-hander.

New Zealand began brightly in reply, but once they lost Brendon McCullum for 36, they rarely looked capable of testing England’s bowlers, or accelerating the run-rate to a meaningful level.

They folded for 193 with 44 balls still remaining, with England captain Paul Collingwood taking 4-15 on his home soil, to add to his 64 with the bat.

Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bowl, with the rationale that New Zealand would be more comfortable chasing in the event of rain and Duckworth-Lewis permutations. But rain never came, and England capitalised on the decision.

The opening partnership gave England a solid foundation, but it was Ian Bell rather than Wright who best exploited the powerplays.

Kyle Mills produced a beauty to brush Bell’s glove from the very first ball of the innings, but the bowler had overstepped the mark with a no-ball.

The next ball was a free hit, and Bell capitalised by lifting the ball over long-off for four.

Brendon McCullum trudges off in dismay after flashing Stuart Broad's first ball straight to cover

Wright had been earmarked as the pinchhitter, but scratched around for 11 in as many overs before being the first to fall, trying to hit Michael Mason over the top.

Bell had looked in princely touch on 46 from 58 balls before being run out off the last ball of the 20th over.

Mason had a good shout for lbw turned down by umpire Steve Davis, prompting Pietersen to call a surprised Bell through for a leg bye, only for Ross Taylor to throw down the stumps from short midwicket.

Ravi Bopara came and went in 13 balls, offering a return catch to Styris for just four.

The crucial stand followed as Pietersen and Collingwood took England from a potentially precarious 95 for three, to 231 for four by the 44th over.

The captain preferred to come down the pitch, and also relied on some fortune, with his unsure sweeping resulting in a series of top-edges which fell short of fielders.

Collingwood flat-batted Mason for six, then guided Styris for four to reach his much-needed fifty off 52 balls.

As the game approached the final 10 overs, Pietersen played the second of two identical switch-shots, leaving Styris scratching his head.

Collingwood seemed to have holed out to long-on off the miserly Vettori, but the sheer force of his shot carried the ball and fielder Mason over the boundary to take Collingwood to 64.

He perished next ball, chopping on the penultimate delivery of Vettori's spell.

Thereafter, Owais Shah increased New Zealand’s frustration, putting on 73 in just six overs with Pietersen, the Middlesex man contributing 49 of them before sacrificing his wicket in the hit-out.

New Zealand conceded 109 from the last 10 overs as the wheels fell off with a series of no-balls, especially from Tim Southee, on ODI debut.

Ian Bell is left short of his ground as Ross Taylor capitalises on an appeal to throw from mid-wicket

When the Black Caps came out to reply, Stuart Broad’s metronomic accuracy and timely wicket-taking ended their hopes.

McCullum, relieved of the wicketkeeping gloves, raced to 36 from 27 balls in the opening eight overs, taking a particular liking to James Anderson.

But Broad’s introduction in place of Anderson brought immediate rewards, as McCullum cut the Nottinghamshire bowler straight to Bell at cover off his first ball.

Broad followed up with the wicket of Jamie How in the 19th over, as he lifted the bowler to a diving Wright at cover. Broad finished with figures of 2-16 from eight overs.

In between, James Marshall had departed for four, run out by Collingwood.

When the score had moved to 101 for three, Taylor checked a shot off Wright and the ball looped straight to Ryan Sidebottom at deep mid-on.

Five overs later Styris followed fashion, hitting out off Graeme Swann, but straight to Anderson at mid-off.

Daniel Flynn played nicely for his 34, but he was unluckily given out caught down the leg-side, and Gareth Hopkins and Vettori followed soon after, both trying to hit out off Collingwood.

And the skipper took the last two wickets for good measure. Mills hit straight up in the air for Wright to take a smart catch, while Southee bludgeoned one six before falling trying to repeat it.

It was an utter capitulation by New Zealand, but England’s increasing understanding of how to approach one-day cricket was all the more apparent.