England hero Pietersen plays out fairytale script

Sure, he could have been dismissed for a duck yesterday. But even that crazy first single to Makhaya Ntini at mid-on, which almost gifted South Africa a fourth wicket in quick succession on the opening afternoon of the npower First Test, was straight from KP's drama school.

Being dislodged that way, with his face in the dirt following a full-length dive, would have been a story all right.

And, just in case even a single spectator had not spotted who was batting with England in trouble at 117 for three, the man of the moment ended up on the ground for a second time after being hit on the helmet by a fierce bouncer from Dale Steyn.

It could only happen to Pietersen. And only Pietersen, you suspect, could have responded as he did, when he did and against the team he did on a day that will live long in the memory.

They used to say Ian Botham employed the best scriptwriter in the game but, 20 years or so down the line, England's most exciting batsman seems to have found someone equally as good.

Scoring three centuries during a limited-overs series against the country of his birth - in front of hostile South African fans in 2005 - was a remarkable achievement. And hitting 158 at The Oval to clinch the Ashes for England a few months later guaranteed Pietersen a permanent place in cricket's history book. But, in many ways, yesterday's unbeaten 104 in his first Test innings against South Africa was best of all.

England were under the cosh after the loss of Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook in the space of three overs had messed up an opening stand of 114. And Pietersen was there to be knocked down by players who would have been his team-mates if things had worked out differently.

Three hours later, Lord's erupted to salute a century of high class and huge character with the applause lasting so long that Pietersen had to acknowledge the fans a second time before the game could continue. No wonder he felt "loved" and no surprise to see him punching the air as he entered the Long Room after guiding England to 309 for three.

"The way the crowd appreciated my hundred was one of the most emotional two minutes of my career," said Pietersen. "That just made me feel so, so loved now. Before there was a lot of stuff about me being originally from South Africa. For the crowd to be like they were was absolutely magnificent. I cannot thank people enough.

"I knew at start of my England career I would have to play well to get people on my side. But right now I feel as English as anybody."

Pietersen would even have given the South Africans - captain Graeme Smith and all - a cuddle if he could. "All the South Africans were fantastic [in offering congratulations], they are a great bunch of guys," he said.

But the man England's hero singled out for special praise was Ian Bell (right). "He batted beautifully," said Pietersen of a team-mate who started the match battling to save his place but contributed 75 to an unbroken stand of 192

All in all, the future of Test cricket could hardly have looked more secure on a sunlit evening as Pietersen and Bell thrilled a near capacity crowd. But appearances can be deceptive.

For example, next summer's proposed tour of England by Sri Lanka - confirmed with glee earlier this week by the ECB after they had sought a replacement for Zimbabwe - may have to be scrapped because it clashes with the 2009 Indian Premier League.

Faced with the determination of their top 13 players to honour lucrative IPL contracts, cricket bosses in Colombo have backed down from a potential fight by agreeing to let them go to India during May when two Tests and three one-day internationals have been scheduled here.

Unless a compromise can be found, England will go back to the drawing board in terms of seeking opponents. But if that means either Bangladesh or, effectively, a Sri Lanka A side then IPL targets like Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff may feel they should be released for more than the proposed fortnight themselves

No wonder Haroon Lorgat, the new chief executive of the International Cricket Council, has warned of dangers ahead for the international game.

"My folks always said to me 'be careful because money is the root of all evil'," said Lorgat. "The root of this issue is the sums of money involved. It is far more attractive financially to play in the IPL.

"I know that the Sri Lanka players are not keen to come to England. This is a huge challenge. Internationals generates revenue that is essential to the survival of all our members. We have to be robust enough to manage these situations.

"I suspect the prospect of a window for the IPL is a subject that will not disappear from the radar."