KP blames dismissal on his helmet
Pietersen top scored with 69 as England recovered from slumping to 90-3 before lunch. It might have been even better, had Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff avoided falling just before the close, but Pietersen refused to dwell on the negatives.
“I think if you look at the first day of previous Ashes series, we would take 336-7, definitely,” said the former captain.
“Being greedy, you would maybe say you’d prefer just five down. But with a wicket that is turning off the straight, I’ll take that.”
Pietersen blamed his departure, when he wildly swept a wide ball to short-leg, on an unfortunate ricochet. He added: “If it hadn’t hit my helmet I might have got away with it, but that’s the way I play.”
Australia coach Tim Nielsen urged his bowlers to finish England off swiftly when play resumes in Cardiff today. He said: “It’s important not to let them get away, not get another hundred, and limit them to 360.”