South Africa's bowlers plan to target the out-of form Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen will come under pressure on his return to Test cricket tomorrow as South Africa are planning to target England's premier batsman to undermine his confidence. Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, says he aims to prolong the frustrations of the out-of-form Pietersen following his five-month lay-off following surgery on an achilles tendon.

"We've worked on a few interesting game-plans to him and hopefully we can put them into place," Smith said. "Since injury he is searching for a bit of confidence and we want to keep him under the pressure we have done through the one-day series and tour so far.

"With regards to off-the-field stuff, that is out of our control and we're going to focus on playing England man for man and hopefully be better than them. Kevin is carrying the burden for comments that he has made over a period of time, so we've just got to live with those and get on and hopefully cricket will be the winner."

England's captain, Andrew Strauss, is confident that his Pietersen can play his first meaningful innings of the tour. "I think KP found himself in quite an unfamiliar situation at the start of this tour. He had been playing cricket almost continuously for God knows how long and it's probably the first time in his England career he has had time away and had to find his feet again, so that's taken some adjusting to and you have to build your way up through the gears.

"I am very happy with the way he has been going about things; he has been training exceptionally hard. I think he has looked better and better and KP being the type of person he is, he will want to have a massive impact on the series."

Strauss has challenged his players to take the initiative with aggressive cricket in the opening session. "A Test series here is always going to be like that," he said. "Both teams have had 10 days twiddling their thumbs waiting for this day and there are going to be 22 players pretty keen to make their mark on the series.

"As is often the case, the first day, the first session, can have a big impact on the way the series goes. You won't win it in that session but you can grab the momentum."

England are looking for a repeat of their series win here five years ago – though they lost at home to South Africa last year – and Strauss added: "I am very keen for players to stand up and be counted in pressure situations and if you are not willing to do that, you are not going to survive in Test cricket very long."

South Africa have not played a Test for nine months and must beat England 2-0 or better to regain the No1 status from India. England are also under-prepared, having not played a first-class match since they arrived six weeks ago. But Strauss claimed that his side are ready. "I think you are prepared if you are mentally in the right place," he said. "We have had quite a big gap since the one-dayers and had enough time to prepare mentally. We haven't had a four-day game in terms of getting a complete replica of Test [cricket] but I am comfortable where we are; the feeling in the camp is pretty boisterous and happy and excited about what is to come. We are aware we need to have our games [switched] on tomorrow morning. You can't afford to ease into any Test cricket."

Strauss admitted that he could not read the pitch on the eve of the match. "I am still not 100% sure how that wicket will play. We turned up for one of the Champions Trophy matches here and it did look very good but ended up playing pretty well. At this stage [it] looks like quite a lot of green grass on it and we have all three options left open to us, but won't be naming the side until the morning."

England have a full squad to pick from, though the spinner Graeme Swann is still carrying a niggling side injury and has James Tredwell standing by.

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Strauss and Pietersen cash in

Andrew Strauss bagged his first hundred and Kevin Pietersen his first half-century of their South African winter on Friday.

England's hosts, a South African Invitational XI, needed 82 overs to take their first authentic wicket in a stumps total of 317 for five declared on day one of two at Buffalo Park.

Strauss (100), Pietersen (71), Alastair Cook (52) and Jonathan Trott (50) all fed off a toothless attack on a sedate pitch after England had been invited to bat first in sunny conditions.

The most pressing question of the day, meanwhile, went unanswered as England batted on and therefore gave James Anderson another 24 hours to rest his injured knee before the fast bowler seeks to prove his fitness in time for Centurion.

Strauss shared an unbroken stand of 101 with Cook, and then 68 with a largely strokeless Trott - before the latter helped Pietersen add 105 more.

The changing of the guard came about not with any success for the bowlers but the decision that each batsman in turn could afford to retire his innings with appropriate runs and time at the crease under his belt.

The latter element appeared to almost entirely absorb Trott - who contributed only 24 runs from 83 balls in the second session, despite a late surge of three boundaries before tea.

He had an lbw scare on nought, Roy Adams beating his defence, and then took no chances even against a back-up attack which featured home captain Wendell Bossenger - usually a wicketkeeper - bowling laboured leg-spin.

Strauss was breaking no speed limits but outscored Trott by 55 runs to eight, on his way to 161-ball century.

The captain immediately made way for Pietersen - who promptly drove the second and third ball he faced for fours, off his namesake Charl, and then pushed a single from the fifth to overtake the dormant Trott.

He beat his partner to 50 too, England calling time on Trott the moment he finally reached his 135-ball half-century in mid-evening.

Pietersen was starting to threaten three figures when he actually lost rather than donated his wicket, holing out in the deep as he tried to add to his 12 fours from 100 balls with a big hit at off-spinner Yasseen Vallie.

Ian Bell then became the only batsman to miss a half-century, gone for single figures when he chopped a delivery from Keagan Eccles on to his stumps. Cook had earlier posted his second successive 50, while Strauss made no mistake with an obvious opportunity for a long innings - having managed only a single in the first fixture against these opponents, which finished in a draw on the same pitch yesterday.

Eccles strayed first on to the pads and then dropped short, as Strauss got himself moving with two leg-side fours.

Teenage pace bowler Aya Myoli was pacy enough to keep both Strauss and Cook on their mettle.

It was first change David Wiese who perhaps came closest to a morning wicket, with a yorker which appeared to strike Strauss on the boot when he had made 20 but must have swung too much or hit bat too - because the lbw appeal was turned down.

There were no alarms otherwise, Cook reaching his 50 first with a pull for his eighth four as Eccles continued to provide easy scoring opportunities in his second spell.

An unremarkable day meandered ever more slowly, raising doubt as to the true benefit derived by tourists who will have to adapt to a jarring change of pace next week.

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Pietersen laughs off dissenting voices

Kevin Pietersen spoke to the press after a fitness session in the gym

Kevin Pietersen will be happy to carry on playing the ‘pantomime villain’ for South African crowds - because it makes him laugh.

It is also likely to mean England’s mercurial batsman will be making important runs against the country of his birth in the forthcoming four-Test series.

Pietersen, still searching for a first big score since his return from four months out following Achilles surgery, is finding it a tough challenge to regain his best form.

But one thing the 29-year-old is entirely unconcerned about is the occasionally raucous receptions from partisan home crowds as he makes his way out to bat.

The boos and whistles were especially notable before and after his short innings in England’s one-day international victory over their hosts in Port Elizabeth.

But he said: “(Australia captain Ricky) Ponting gets abused in England; (South Africa skipper Graeme) Smith gets it in England; I get it here; many players get it all over the world.”

Pietersen has no problem that reactions reserved for the best players in the world are coming his way.

“It’s something you just have to deal with, and I don’t mind it at all,” he insisted.

“I find it quite amusing really. Of course you hear it. But some players, it gets them going. It certainly does with me.”

The complicating factor for Pietersen is he decided to leave his native country and instead seek an international career with England.

That proved an astute move - in five years of Test cricket so far, he averages almost 50 - but appears to be one that still rankles with some South Africans.

Pietersen has no regrets. “I take it as a compliment,” he said. “They don’t want you out there playing; they want to try to get you off your guard. I seem to enjoy it.

“I hope everybody just respects the good cricket both teams play, and respects a good sportsman. That’s all you can ask for.”

Pietersen’s hope is he can continue to keep the hecklers in full voice - by making big runs - but he is not finding it easy to re-attune himself to the demands of cricket at the highest level.

“It’s tough when you come back after a long injury - mentally and physically,” he explained.

“It’s quite difficult and I’m finding it quite hard but I’m doing everything that I can to try to get myself back to where I used to be.”

Several England cricketers of recent vintage have gone through similar experiences with injury - notably former captain Michael Vaughan and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff - and Pietersen reports he has had a lot of support and advice on how to make a successful return.

“People who’ve gone through this, had injuries and come back, have sent me good text messages - saying, ‘it takes time’, and ‘just don’t put pressure on yourself’.

“You’ve just got to go out there and do the hard work, which will eventually pay off. I’m not shy of hard work - and I’ve been putting in some really, really long hours.”

Pietersen’s situation has not been helped by the awful weather that has followed England around in South Africa, washing out two one-day internationals and robbing them of important practice.

“It’s really frustrating with this weather," he said. “But I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself to perform straightaway, because I know it’s simply just not going to happen like that.

"I’ve got to wait and wait and wait - and hope it comes round soon.”

The stakes are high for hosts who have just been knocked off the top of the world rankings by India, and tourists buoyed by last summer’s Ashes victory and determined not to repeat the mistakes of five years ago when they followed a long overdue victory over Australia with defeat in Pakistan.

“Both teams know how big this tour is going to be and we have to understand we’re going to have to play really good cricket to win the series,” Pietersen added.

“The confidence is good but we’re also not going to take our foot off the gas. We know that, post-Ashes 2005, we took our foot off the gas and things did not go according to plan.

“There were injuries to big players in the squad but all our injuries appear to be under control at the moment, which is great news.”

England are well led by captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower, and there is also good news of senior fast bowler James Anderson’s knee trouble, which appears to be under control, despite another injection over the weekend.

“Both Andys are keeping us on our toes and we just want to continue where the boys left off at the Oval,” said Pietersen.

“I had dinner with Jimmy last night and he said he’s going to be absolutely fine, so I don’t see a single problem with him.”

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Gooch: Only a matter of time for KP

Kevin Pietersen's quest for a first major innings since his comeback from injury so far extends to five unsuccessful attempts.

But new England batting coach Graham Gooch is not about to panic - because he knows from his own experience that, for a world-class batsman, it is only a matter of time before normal service is resumed.

Former England captain Gooch is his country's highest Test runscorer but admits he was not immune from the occasional blip when, for whatever reason, the runs did not flow.

Pietersen's sequence of 85 runs in those five innings comes with the mitigation of four months' enforced absence because of an Achilles operation.

Gooch said: "I think, with any player - whatever their ability level - if you've been out of the game with injury, you've got to work hard to find your way back both mentally and physically.
"Kevin has been a super performer for England since 2005. He's been a match-winner - and I'm sure he'll continue to be a match-winner.

"But, if you've been off for a while, it takes time.
"It's not easy to just get yourself back into it. But, in his case, he's been the mainstay of the England batting over the last four years - and I would expect him to continue."

The stakes are highest of all in international cricket and that is true for no one more than Pietersen - who has a maximum of four opportunities this week to put a big score in the book during two matches against South African Airways XIs, before the first Test at Centurion.
"At international level, your career is on the line every time," Gooch explained.

"Every time you walk out there with your international shirt on, across that white line, you're putting your reputation and the reputation of your country on the line.

"That is one of the exciting things, the challenges, of playing for your country."
Pietersen's form will clearly be a major factor in whether England can add progress in the forthcoming four-Test series to their 2-1 one-day international win over their hosts.
Gooch does not necessarily subscribe to the 'momentum' argument that success breeds success, whatever the format.

But, reflecting on the ODI triumph and England's five-day prospects against a team deposed only this morning by India as the world's number one, he noted: "Winning beats the hell out of losing.

"South Africa are a high-ranking side in both forms of the game, so it's a great challenge for England.

"What an opportunity this is for our players - very exciting - and I think this is a challenge they're going to rise to."

Gooch, recruited to help his fellow former Essex batsman and England head coach Andy Flower, retains huge enthusiasm for the sport that has been his life.

"Part of the pleasure of playing at the top level is to challenge your ability against the best," he pointed out.

"England have got a good line-up - and, if they believe in themselves, I don't see any reason why they can't have success here."

One of England's biggest assets is captain Andrew Strauss, who has returned to his very best form as an opening batsman.

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Pietersen form not a worry - Flower

It isn't only the crowds that Kevin Pietersen is having to battle in South Africa, but also his own form after a four-month injury lay-off following Achilles surgery. His innings during the one-day series have been unconvincing, but given the career he has already had, expectations were always going to be high as soon as he returned to the England side.

His soft chip to midwicket at Port Elizabeth ended a six-ball 3 in which he had already been dropped at long leg off a top-edged hook. At Centurion Park he made 29 off 19 balls in the second Twenty20, his comeback match, but managed just 4 in the one-day international on the same ground. His top score of 45 came in Cape Town but, although there was the odd glimpse of his usual style, he looked like a player feeling his way back.

The camp, though, remain unconcerned about Pietersen's results. Before the fourth ODI, Paul Collingwood said it was only to be expected that he would struggle for a while after such a long time out and now the coach, Andy Flower, has said he it was always going to be a challenge for Pietersen.

"I wouldn't be too worried. I think he's going to take a little while to get back in form," Flower told reporters after England arrived in Durban. "Being out for four months - when he's used to playing all the time - I think is a challenge he's going to have to overcome.

"He's a high achiever, an outstanding sportsman - and he will be very impatient to get back into his dominant ways again. I think we should be patient with him, because it's not easy just to walk back in and dominate straight away."

Given Pietersen's record of performing best when the pressure is on, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him emerge from his early problems during the final one-day international at Durban - his old home ground for Natal and where he first encountered England during the 1999-2000 tour and made his intentions known about switching allegiance.

"He tends to want to do it his way," Flower said. "That's part of his strength, his make-up - what makes him a different and very powerful player for us. He will score heavy runs on this tour, and maybe Friday is the day. It could be his day."

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Colly confident KP will find form

England's most in-form batsman Paul Collingwood is confident it is only a matter of time before Kevin Pietersen starts making big runs again too.

Collingwood, who last week marked his record 171st one-day international cap with an unbeaten hundred at Centurion and added another 86 in a losing cause at Newlands yesterday, has already seen plenty of evidence that the "old KP" is on his way back.
Pietersen shared a fourth-wicket stand of 84 with Collingwood last night as England lost by 112 runs to allow South Africa to level the series at 1-1 with two to play, starting at St George's tomorrow.

By the mercurial South Africa-born batsman's standards, his 45 was an understated performance.

But Collingwood points out it would be entirely unreasonable to expect Pietersen to be instantly back to his destructive best in only a handful of innings so far since four months out after Achilles surgery.

"I wouldn't start putting him under any kind of pressure," he said.

"If you think of the lay-off he's had I don't think you'd expect him to come in and score hundreds straight away."

Even so Collingwood, who has often largely stood and admired Pietersen's world-beating strokeplay from 22 yards during previous partnerships, saw enough in Cape Town to conclude his team-mate is close to hitting top form.

"It's fair to say that there are some of the shots he's playing, with the old Kevin Pietersen there," he added.

"It's not going to be too long before he's making a massive contribution, just like he used to.

"He's not going to hit his straps 100% straight away. But he's certainly showing signs that he's got a big innings round the corner.

"As soon as he makes that big innings, the old flamboyant KP will be back - because he's certainly not far away."

Even before the big runs flow, Collingwood sees the mere presence of Pietersen as a major asset for England.

"It's just great to see him back on the pitch, running around fine - with that energy back," he reported.

"You can do as much training as you want in the nets, but the centre is where it counts.

"So far, he's looked pretty solid without having that major innings. But he's that kind of world-class player who will be clicking soon.

"Just having his presence in the batting line-up is the crucial thing.

"No opponents want to bowl against KP. It gives the rest of the lads a lot of confidence."

England have already drawn a Twenty20 series against their hosts this autumn, eliminated them from the Champions Trophy back in September and are now in a tough battle for this ODI series.

"So far, it's been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride, in terms of results and performances," Collingwood said.

"It's been an up-and-down tour.
"But a lot of credit goes to South Africa and the way they bounced back last night.
"Right from ball one, their intent was very good and obviously put us under a lot of pressure.

"But we're not going to get it right all the time."
Collingwood is banking on it being England's turn to fight back.
"We hope in new conditions in Port Elizabeth we can adjust to them and play the better cricket again tomorrow," he said.

As for his own outstanding run of consistency, the Durham batsman insists he is doing little different - merely trying hard, as he always has.

South Africa have admitted they are having to reassess Collingwood's capabilities, and he admits: "It's nice when the opposition are looking at you like that.
"Obviously, I feel in very good form at the moment - seeing the ball well.
"I'm enjoying the wickets out here, I gained a lot of confidence from playing in the Champions Trophy on faster and bouncier wickets.

"I've been working on my game over the years - trying to improve - and I'm just starting to see some of those benefits.

"Confidence is high, and it's amazing what you can do when confidence is that high.
"I'm not doing anything that different. I'm probably striking the ball a little bit harder than I used to and I've opened a couple more areas out technically."


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No rush for refreshed Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen will resist the temptation to rush back into action after he joined up with his England team-mates in Johannesburg. The tourists were skittled for 89 by South Africa A on Tuesday evening, and have a number of injury concerns in the squad, but Pietersen doesn't expect a hurried return for the Twenty20 internationals.

Pietersen had a vigorous net session at the Wanderers after the England squad flew in from Bloemfontein following the embarrassing reversal against South Africa's second string. The first Twenty20 takes place in Johannesburg on Friday followed by the second at Centurion on Sunday, however Pietersen is still targeting the 50-over warm-up against South Africa A next Tuesday as his first England match since the second Ashes Test in July.

"I'm looking at playing the warm-up game on Tuesday next week at Potchefstroom and then, I hope, the first one-day international," he told reporters. "But we'll just see how this next week goes. I'm certainly not going to rush things - I tried that a while back. So that's the plan, and I feel good for it at the moment.

"I've done some rigorous training over the last six weeks, I've done a lot of work at Lord's in the last week before I flew out yesterday and I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fresh mentally. I had a bad day on my Achilles yesterday, but I think that was just purely down to the flight. I've woken up feeling really good today."

Pietersen's four-month lay-off has given him a chance to move on from the challenges of 2009 which included losing the captaincy in the public falling out with Peter Moores before injury problems first occurred in West Indies.

"I enjoyed the break to refresh my batteries, to get myself right and ready to know that I can compete again and want to compete again. But I hated getting injured because I wanted to continue playing to be a part of what was a successful summer. So that was where I was at, but now to be back in an England tracksuit is great.

"I've just treated this break as something to get my head right, to get myself back in love with the game," he added. "I hated missing fixtures for England, I really wanted to be part of a successful Ashes campaign. I wanted to be part of the one-dayers and try to affect that in a hopefully positive manner against Australia."

In Pietersen's absence the batting order has been learning to cope with their leading player. Jonathan Trott's debut hundred in the Ashes decider has cemented his place in the Test line-up, while there has been encouraging development in the one-day format from Joe Denly and Eoin Morgan despite the hiccup against South Africa A.

Graeme Swann even went as far as to suggest that Pietersen will have to fight for his place again and, though Pietersen shouldn't have too much to worry about, there is increased competition in the batting ranks.

"I think the team looks like they're really on fire to do some good things out here in South Africa and to be really competitive," Pietersen said. "I'm very encouraged to hear all the positive things that have been said to me by the players over what's happened in the past couple of weeks."

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"Pietersen's place is not assured"

Kevin Pietersen may be on his way to South Africa but England's star batsman is by no means assured of a place in the team.

Pietersen has been recuperating from surgery to his right Achilles tendon - an injury that forced him to miss the last three Tests of this summer's Ashes - but will arrive in his country of birth tomorrow before linking up with his team on Wednesday.

His arrival is set to further strengthen his side's resources a week into a tough two-and-a-half-month trip, which has already begun so promisingly with comprehensive victories in their opening two games.

The selectors are likely to face some tough decisions ahead, especially with the line-up taking good shape on the back of an encouraging Champions Trophy display in which England reached the semi-final.

Pietersen was not part of that squad and neither was another South African-born player, Jonathan Trott, but while the former has been recovering over the past three months, the latter has been shining with the bat - he delivered a telling performance on his Test debut in the Ashes decider.

Trott has also made a flying start to the tour, scoring 85 in a man-of-the-match display against the Diamond Eagles to stake his claim for a place in the team, and Swann admits it will not be easy for Pietersen to walk straight back in. He said: "I don't know what the situation is with Kevin and how close he is to being fit but I think it's exciting for us to know that he's going to come back in.

"He's a massive personality and a massive player. It's going to be good for the team from a playing perspective because he's one of the best players in the world.
"I don't think it's a squad that's sitting there desperately hoping that other people turn up because I think we're all getting on well, we've got a very positive outlook and we've had some good performances.

"So Kev's just going to add to that, I don't think he's going to change it. You never know, he might even have to fight for his place when he gets here."

England play their final warm-up match against a strong South Africa 'A' side in Bloemfontein tomorrow ahead of two Twenty20 internationals against the Proteas at the weekend.

Although it is unlikely, Pietersen could taste his first action in one of those games - but, with or without him, Swann insists that the team can cope.

He pointed to the final Ashes Test as the perfect example, saying: "Whenever you lose one or two of your big players, everyone else has got to step up to the plate and perform.

"Last summer they did, that last Test match everyone was saying that it had to be Andrew Flintoff's massive last game and it was Stuart Broad who took the limelight - he stepped up to the plate.

"We can't be reliant on one or two players, that's unhealthy for the team and unhealthy for English cricket. Thankfully at the minute, everyone's chipping in in their own respective areas, which is a more healthy state to be in."

As the focus shifts to strictly Twenty20 cricket over the next six days, Swann is determined for England to continue learning about cricket's youngest format.
He added: "You can tell it's the future of cricket, more people watch it, the sponsors love it and the IPL is probably the biggest thing that's happened to cricket in a long while.

"So everyone's playing it and I play it just as much. We'll just be trying to beat South Africa. We need to get one foot on the ladder, so to speak, in terms of results on this trip.

"From a confidence perspective and a results perspective, winning the first game is vitally important, so we'll be just looking to go out and win those games."

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Pietersen return a 'huge boon' - Flower

England coach Andy Flower is excited about Kevin Pietersen's international return and believes the batsman is in the right frame of mind to take on South Africa in the upcoming series. Pietersen will stay in England to complete his recovery from an Achilles injury, and will join his team-mates on November 9 or 10 - in time for the first ODI.

Pietersen batted for the first time in three months on Friday in a training session at Lord's and Flower said there was still a bit of rehabilitation work to be done to get the batsman up to speed. "Hopefully, he'll be okay to play in the warm-up game against South Africa A and then ready to go at the start of the one-day series," Flower said. "That is what we are targeting. The infection has slowed everything up, otherwise he would have been back during the English summer. But he brings a superb record, flair, confidence and the ability to counter attack.

"The fact that we won the Ashes with limited contributions from the two big stars [Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff] is a good thing for the unit and the country's cricket and when they come back that adds strength and power. That's a good thing.

"He is important to us. He's a world-class player who has a special talent and a special confidence. He is a huge boon for us."

Pietersen was given a hard time by spectators on his last visit to his native country, but Flower believes the 29-year-old has won over his critics. "This time probably he will have the respect from the South African public," Flower said. "They love sport and cricket and I expect they will treat him with respect."

In fact, he said there were no issues with Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, who was also born in South Africa, facing their former countrymen. "The England teams historically have had people like Allan Lamb, Tony Greig and Graeme Hick," Flower said. "I don't see it being any different to that. From watching Trott in preparation for The Oval Test and in the Test itself he is 100% committed to this team and this country.

"I am quite happy with the situation. That's the way it is and has been for quite a long time. I am quite comfortable with the commitment shown by the guys."

England's tour of South Africa comprises two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and four Tests, with a handful of warm-up games. The tour gets underway on November 6 with England XI taking on a South African Board President's XI.

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Pietersen makes all-time England XI

Kevin Pietersen is the only player from almost the past two decades to make it into the all-time England XI chosen by Cricinfo, with Ian Botham the next most-recent star to make the cut.

Pietersen's selection, by a panel of renowned cricket writers, journalists and commentators, confirms the impact he has had on the game since he made his Test debut in 2005, but there are no places for anyone else who contributed to England's Ashes victories in 2005 and 2009.

The opening positions are taken by Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton, two of the true legends of the game, and they are followed by Walter Hammond at No. 3 and Ken Barrington at No. 4. Pietersen, who is still in the early part of his career but is already recognised as a match-changing batsman, only just made it to final XI, beating off strong competition from Denis Compton, who captured the hearts and the minds of English fans in the post-war years.

Andrew Flintoff and Tony Greig both made it to the shortlist for allrounders, but Botham won that contest hands down. "A proven century-maker, unlike Andrew Flintoff, and capable of bowling either fast like Harold Larwood, or outswing like Fred Trueman," Scyld Berry, the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, wrote about Botham. "Hammond at first slip and Botham at second would make a formidable cordon beside Alan Knott."

Knott was the unanimous choice as the wicketkeeper. Sydney Barnes and Harold Larwood won the premier fast bowler's positions by an overwhelming majority, but it was a closer contest for Fred Trueman who had stiff competition from Frank Tyson. Bob Willis was the only modern fast bowler who came close to selection.

The sole spinner's position went to Derek Underwood, who beat Jim Laker by a single vote.

Last month Cricinfo produced a definitive all-time great Australia team, which didn't include any members of the current Australian line-up. Over the coming year, the website will turn its eye to all of the top Test-playing nations and round off the deliberations with an all-time World XI.

Cricinfo also asked readers to select their all-time XIs and the only two differences were that David Gower was voted into the middle order ahead of Barrington and Laker took the spin position from Underwood.

The nominees

Openers
Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Herbert Sutcliffe, Mike Brearley, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton, Michael Vaughan

Middle order
Wally Hammond, Ken Barrington, Kevin Pietersen, Colin Cowdrey, Peter May, David Gower, Stanley Jackson, Frank Woolley, Ted Dexter, Denis Compton

Allrounders
Ian Botham, Tony Greig, Andrew Flintoff

Wicketkeepers
Alan Knott, Bob Taylor, Les Ames, Jack Russell, Alec Stewart

Fast bowlers
Sydney Barnes, Harold Larwood, Fred Trueman, Bob Willis, Alec Bedser, Frank Tyson, John Snow, Darren Gough, Brian Statham

Spinners
Hedley Verity, Wilfred Rhodes, Jim Laker, Derek Underwood

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