June 16, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 11, 1429

CHESTER-LE-STREET (England), June 15: Kevin Pietersen’s 110 not out, which included some bizarre baseball-like switch-hitting, helped steer England to 307 for five against New Zealand in the first One-day International at Riverside on Sunday.

The Kiwis require a run rate of 6.16 runs per over to take the lead in the five-match series. Their target was made all the more difficult after a fourth wicket partnership of 136 between Pietersen and skipper Paul Collingwood (64 off 64 balls).

Owais Shah added a skilful 49 from just 25 balls and his third six brought up the 300 in the final over.

New Zealand are seeking to regain some pride after losing the test series 2-0 and being defeated by nine wickets in Friday’s Twenty20 International.

England’s top-ranked batsman Pietersen, who announced his arrival with a perfectly-executed straight drive for four off Tim Southee, faced 112 balls and struck eight fours and three sixes in compiling his sixth One-day International century and first since the World Cup last April.

The sixes he struck off medium-pace bowler Scott Styris created the greatest talking point.

In the 39th over, the right-handed Pietersen played what appeared to be a reverse sweep over cover for six but he had actually changed his grip and effectively played a conventional sweep as a left-hander. Styris stood and admired. He repeated the shot for another six but this time over long-off.

A more conventional straight drive for four next over registered the 100 partnership with Collingwood, who looked a more relaxed batsman than he had appeared in the Test series when his place had been called into question.

Ian Bell (46) continued the momentum from his 60 not out on Friday by striking Kyle Mills for 10 runs from the first three legitimate balls of the match, including two boundaries.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

I.R. Bell run out 46

L.J. Wright c Vettori b Mason 11

K.P. Pietersen not out 110

R.S. Bopara c and b Styris 4

P.D. Collingwood b Vettori 64

O.A. Shah c How b Southee 49

T.R. Ambrose not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-9, NB-10) 22

TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs) 307

FALL OF WKTS: 1-49, 2-84, 3-95, 4-231, 5-304.

DID NOT BAT: G.P. Swann, S.C.J. Broad, R.J. Sidebottom, J.M. Anderson.

BOWLING: Mills 10-1-59-0 (6nb, 1w); Southee 10-1-68-1 (4nb, 2w); Mason 10-0-62-1; Vettori 10-0-38-1; Styris 8-0-63-1; Taylor 2-0-14-0 (6w).

NEW ZEALAND: J.M. How, B.B. McCullum, J.A.H. Marshall, L.R.P.L. Taylor, S.B. Styris, D.R. Flynn, G.J. Hopkins, D.L. Vettori, K.D. Mills, T.G. Southee, M.J. Mason.

UMPIRES: N.J. Llong (England) and S.J. Davis (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: P.J. Hartley (England).

MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India).

—Reuters