Pietersen wins Warne battle to give England edge

ADELAIDE—Kevin Pietersen has won his battle with Shane Warne as England escaped from Australia’s clutches to secure a solid position on the opening day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Paul Collingwood was poised for a century and Pietersen hoisted a lusty six over long-on off Warne in a hustling century stand for the tourists, fighting back after their punishing 277-run defeat in the first Test at the Gabba. England were 266 for three at stumps. Collingwood followed on from his 96 in Brisbane to be unbeaten on 98 and Pietersen was on 60, after captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss.
The pair rattled an unbroken 108 runs for the fourth wicket in just 115 minutes.
Amid cautious field placements and curious bowling preferences by skipper Ricky Ponting, England wriggled out of Australia’s grip in the final session with Stuart Clark under-bowled despite taking two wickets in the morning. Pietersen’s one-on-one contests with his Hampshire county team-mate have been much-anticipated highlights of the series and he did not disappoint after their contretemps in Brisbane last week.
It was Pietersen’s arrival at the wicket after the loss of Ian Bell for 60 that quickened England’s scoring rate after it had dawdled along at 2.4 runs an over amid tight Australian bowling.
“Whatever we did, whether it was bowling or batting, we had to do it well from ball one and we’ve pretty much done that with the bat today,” Bell said.
“It’s important for us to get as many as we can and grind away and keep Australia out there as long as possible.”
Pietersen wasted little time raising his half-century off 69 balls while Collingwood played more the anchor role to help restore the England innings after the loss of both openers before lunch.
During Pietersen’s counter-attacking second innings of 92 in the first Test, Warne hurled the ball at his head, forcing the England No.5 to knock it away with his bat and yell at Warne.
Collingwood, who sacrificed a century in Brisbane when he charged Warne and was stumped, had occupied the crease for 277 minutes by the close in another influential innings for his country.
Warne finished the day with 0-85 off 27 overs.
Collingwood and Bell played strait-jacket cricket to put on 113 runs for the third wicket before Bell went to hook a short ball, only to sky a catch to bowler Brett Lee 13 minutes after tea.
Bell, who hit 50 in the first innings in Brisbane and wrestled with Warne’s tricks early, batted for just over three hours with six boundaries. Medium-pacer Clark followed up his seven wickets in Brisbane with the scalps of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook inside his first six overs in the morning session.
Strauss continued his poor series after Gabba scores of 12 and 11 when he miscued a leading edge to a diving Damien Martyn at mid-on and then had Cook caught behind by Adam Gilchrist.
But Clark only bowled two overs after tea and finished with 2-25 off 15 overs.