Kevin Pietersen’s remarkable career took its latest and arguably most dramatic turn on Monday when he was named England cricket captain.
Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen gave England a chance of a come-from-behind victory on the third day of the third Test against South Africa.
South Africa exploited favourable bowling conditions to reduce England to 70 for three at lunch on the first morning of the second test at Headingley.
Ian Bell fell agonisingly short of a double century at Lord’s but his Test-best 199 left England in a commanding position against South Africa.
Ian Bell completed his eighth Test century on Friday in a significant innings for himself and his team on the second day of the first Test against SA.
Stand-in captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday blamed England’s batsmen for their 3-1 defeat to New Zealand in the one-day series.
Thank you, Kevin Pietersen. You enlivened a somewhat dreary, Flintoff-free summer at a stroke. The stroke christened the ”switch hit”.
SA captain Graeme Smith is looking to his fast bowlers to make inroads into England’s top order and expose batsman Kevin Pietersen early on.
SA’s cricket team arrive in England later this week, but New Zealand’s Grant Elliott is adamant he is not in the wrong tour party.
England batsman Kevin Pietersen was granted permission on Tuesday to continue his revolutionary switch-hitting tactics.
Kevin Pietersen’s inventive 110 not out, which included two unorthodox left-handed sixes, helped steer England to a 114-run win over New Zealand.
Kevin Pietersen’s 12th Test century helped England recover from a slump to reach 273-7 on the first day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Thursday.
Andrew Strauss struck his 12th Test century on Monday to help England complete a remarkable six-wicket victory over New Zealand on the fourth day of the second Test at Old Trafford. England, who trailed New Zealand by 179 runs on the first innings, reached their victory target of 294 in the final over before tea with four wickets to spare.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram chose the right occasion and the perfect venue to score his first Test century against England on Monday with a match-saving innings in the first Test at Lord’s. New Zealand held an overall lead of only 78 with four wickets down when wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum retired hurt and was taken to hospital after a blow to his left forearm.
British police battled to keep pro-Tibet protesters away from the Beijing Olympics flame, making 30 arrests as the torch went on a high security tour of London on Sunday. Police on bikes and running alongside the flame escorted each member of the relay.
Monty Panesar returned Test-best figures of six for 126 as England beat New Zealand by 121 runs in the third cricket Test on Wednesday and clinched the three-match series 2-1. Off-spinner Panesar completed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests, claiming three of the five wickets to fall on the final day, hastening New Zealand’s dismissal for 431 as it chased 553 for victory.
Monty Panesar took England to the brink of a series victory as New Zealand slumped to 222-5, 330 runs in arrears at stumps on the fourth day of the third cricket Test on Tuesday. With New Zealand set a record target of 553 to win, Stephen Fleming and Matthew Bell provided stout resistance for the second wicket before Panesar removed both batsmen.
Tim Ambrose and Paul Collingwood rescued England’s innings after New Zealand’s Jacob Oram had inspired a top-order collapse to ensure the second Test was evenly poised at the end of the first day’s play on Thursday. Ambrose and Collingwood came together with their side teetering at 136 for five during the middle session to combine for an unbeaten 155-run sixth wicket partnership.
Ask anyone in India who Virat Kohli is and they will surely tell you he’s the captain of their under-19 cricket team. Try that with Wayne Parnell and you’re likely to get a few puzzled responses on the streets of South Africa. Yet both led their teams with equal aplomb to reach the final of the recent International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.
England batsman Kevin Pietersen said the 42 runs he painstakingly scratched out against New Zealand on the third day of the first Test was one of the best Test innings he had played for his country. The aggressive and flamboyant Pietersen took 131 balls to make 42, in England’s total of 286 for six at the close of play on Friday.
England slipped to 87-2 in reply to New Zealand’s 470 all out at the close of play on the second day of the first Test on Thursday. Michael Vaughan was 44 not out with Andrew Strauss on one after Chris Martin took two late wickets. England were 383 runs behind on the first innings.
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/ 20 February 2008
New Zealand and England played out a thrilling draw in their fourth one-day international (ODI) at Napier on Wednesday. Both teams finished on 340 runs, leaving New Zealand with a 2-1 lead in the series with one match to play. England batted first and made 340-6 with four players scoring half-centuries.
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/ 15 February 2008
England kept the five-match series alive by beating New Zealand by six wickets in the third one-dayer in Auckland on Friday. The visitors, chasing an adjusted victory target, cruised to victory with three overs to spare to cut their series deficit to 2-1.
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/ 12 February 2008
A dominant batting performance by openers Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder powered New Zealand to a 10-wicket win over England in the second one-day cricket international on Tuesday. The overwhelming victory, completed with 17.5 overs to spare in the rain-shortened game, lifted New Zealand to 2-0 in the five-match series.
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/ 9 February 2008
In a stunning reversal of form, New Zealand thrashed England in their opening one-day cricket international by six wickets with 20 overs to spare at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday. The win came just days after England thoroughly outplayed New Zealand in all departments in two Twenty20 matches.
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/ 5 February 2008
England continued their perfect start to their tour of New Zealand by beating the Kiwis by 32 runs in their first Twenty20 international at Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday. England, who opened their two-month tour with back-to-back wins over Canterbury last weekend, compiled an impressive total of 184-8 from their 20 overs.
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/ 22 December 2007
Opener Alastair Cook hit a defiant century before rain washed out the last session to help England draw the final cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday. Left-handed Cook made 118 as England groped to 251-6 in their second innings when a heavy downpour ruined Sri Lanka’s hopes of victory.
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/ 5 December 2007
Muttiah Muralitharan bowled two magical deliveries when it mattered most to hand Sri Lanka an 88-run win over a fighting England in the first Test on Wednesday. The off-spinner, who became Test cricket’s most successful bowler in the first innings, got out Matt Prior and Ian Bell in the space of three deliveries with the second new ball to end England’s spirited challenge.
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/ 1 December 2007
England’s pace-spin duo of Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar combined to destroy Sri Lanka for 188 on the opening day of the first cricket Test on Saturday. England replied with 49-1 by stumps after losing opener Alastair Cook to the third ball of the innings when he was trapped leg-before by 100-Test veteran Chaminda Vaas.
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/ 11 October 2007
Alastair Cook hit a masterly 80 as England thrashed Sri Lanka by five wickets in the fourth one-day international on Wednesday to clinch their first series win on the subcontinent for 20 years. The 22-year-old left-hander shared a 110-run stand for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen (63 not out) to give England a memorable win in the day-night game.
Little-known Graeme Swann put in a superb all-round performance to help England pull off a tense two-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third one-day international on Sunday. The off-spinner grabbed four wickets in a disciplined spell and then made a crucial 25 as England achieved the revised target of 164 in a game reduced to 48 overs a side due to rain.
All-rounder Farveez Maharoof grabbed four wickets to propel Sri Lanka to an emphatic 119-run run victory over England in the first one-day international on Monday. Maharoof ripped through the top order after a positive start by England’s batsmen.