Powerful Pietersen guides England

Kevin Pietersen shows his delight after reaching a splendid hundred at the Oval

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Kevin Pietersen’s majestic hundred coupled with some fearsome opening bowling from James Anderson put England well and truly in the box seat after a riveting second day of the final npower Test.

Pietersen’s blistering hundred, coupled with commendable contributions from Paul Collingwood and man-of-the-moment Steve Harmison, pushed England up to 316 all out in the the first innings and the home side’s dominance was emphatically underlined when Anderson dismissed Graeme Smith late in the day.

Makhaya Ntini’s 5-94 had threatened to dampen England’s efforts but Pietersen’s sumptuous 100 gave Harmison the licence he needed late on to smack a highest first-class score of 49.

Collingwood (61) had again earlier combined with Pietersen to register a partnership in excess of three figures before James Anderson ripped out Smith for a duck as South Africa finished the day on 37 for one.

Play began half an hour late under dour conditions at the Brit Oval due to rain and South Africa immediately took advantage to dismiss Ian Bell and leave England 51 for two.

Bell added just two to his overnight score off 22 before he pushed forward Ntini’s fourth delivery of the opening over and nibbled a catch through to Smith at first slip.

That brought Pietersen to the crease and he and Alastair Cook competently saw off an enterprising opening burst from Ntini and Morne Morkel, Cook flicking the latter impressively for four to open his - and England’s - boundary account for the day.

A hardy Oval crowd didn’t have to wait for long for England’s new skipper to announce himself, Pietersen outrageously flicking two consecutive Ntini deliveries from outside off-stump to the midwicket fence.

The stocky right-hander then dealt another two fours to Morkel in the 27th over, first hooking a rising delivery between two waiting fielders behind square then swiping the next ball authoritatively to the midwicket fence as the bowler vainly attempted another bouncer.

Ntini’s luck changed dramatically before lunch when, in the same over and with England on Nelson at 111, Cook (39) again failed to capitalise on a good start and nicked a wide, timid ball through to Mark Boucher.

Pietersen smashes away on the leg side during his brilliant 135-ball, 14th Test hundred during day two

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It left Pietersen and Collingwood to resume after lunch on 116 for three and the pair, who combined to put on 115 runs in the second innings of the third Test at Edgbaston, began to impose themselves immediately when Collingwood flicked Ntini for a brace of leg side fours in the opening over after the restart.

Pietersen was also in attacking mode and, having already collected a boundary from an edge through third slip off Ntini, hoisted the right-armer high over square for another four to bring up his 15th Test 50 from 79 balls complete with nine fours.

Ntini, who had been stationed at fine leg during his bowling spell, was involved again when he and Paul Harris’ lack of communication gave Pietersen a life following a mistimed pull of Morkel.

Smith looked far from amused as Ntini lay sprawled on the turf after a despairing dive, and duly shunted Harris up to mid-on following the incident.

After a brief break for bad light South Africa again nearly snared Pietersen, with Andre Nel unlucky not to have him caught when he mistimed another pull agonisingly just out of reach of a furiously backpedalling Ntini at mid-on.

Having brought up the fifty partnership Pietersen then underlined his dominance with a trio of elegant boundaries from Morkel in the 55th over and followed it up with another flick off Nel again for four to surpass South Africa’s first innings 194.

Collingwood signalled the hundred partnership with a deft dab through fourth slip before Pietersen himself brought up his own three figures when he shuffled across his stumps to twirl Ntini through the leg side for four.

The milestone, his 14th Test hundred and only the third time a debut England captain has registered three figures in the first innings of a new tenure, proved his final contribution when having taking the generous applause he steered a wide Ntini delivery into the hands of Jacques Kallis in the gully.

Incoming batsman Andrew Flintoff lit up proceedings in the over before tea when he hammered a Paul Harris delivery high over long-on for six, but he departed soon after the restart when he flashed loosely at a Kallis delivery and was caught at the wicket for nine.

Wickets continued to tumble for England as Kallis had Tim Ambrose (four) comfortably caught by Smith at first slip, then ended Collingwood’s 124-ball knock when he produced a lifting delivery to have him caught and bowled.

James Anderson celebrates taking the wicket of Graeme Smith as fellow opener Neil McKenzie looks on

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Collingwood had stroked 10 classy boundaries in a pleasing knock and looked in similarly good touch following on from his resolute second-innings hundred in the third Test.

It left England’s tail exposed and Stuart Broad, whom much of England’s hopes rested on to marshal the lower-order, departed after a painful 36-ball innings for only one run.

The left-hander nicked an angled Ntini delivery through to Neil McKenzie at third slip to hand the South African his 17th haul of five wickets in Tests and leave England on 263 for eight.

Any South African thoughts of wrapping up the England lower-order slowly evaporated however when Harmison and Anderson fended off the tourists’ new-ball efforts with a series of unorthodox, airborne boundaries.

Harmison in particular played some brutish shots and moved onto his highest Test score with a customary mow to third man off Nel having already played a series of dashing shots off the bowling of Harris.

Anderson finally fell when he bizarrely left a straight ball from the same bowler having made 13, but his partnership of 43 with Harmison had stretched England’s lead to 122.

Harmison fell just shy of registering his maiden first-class fifty as Panesar was run-out for nought without facing a ball to close England’s innings, but by this stage the damage had been done.

It left South Africa with a tricky period to bat and Anderson responded in style to send back Smith fifth ball for nought with a beautiful inswinger.

Hashim Amla and McKenzie saw through a tricky period but will return tomorrow still facing a sizeable deficit.