Pietersen's form slump a worry

Watching Kevin Pietersen's batting struggles is not a pretty sight writes Stephen Brenkley in the Independent. A dipping average, a searching for the ball and and anxiety about his shots are all worrying signs for England. Especially with the Ashes looming.

When his short-lived captaincy ended in tears in early 2009, Pietersen averaged slightly above 50 in Test cricket, the benchmark for possible greatness. Since then, his average has been 42.92 and, since his return from the Achilles operation which forced him to miss most of last summer's Ashes, he has scored 550 runs at 39.28, which makes him human after all. He is struggling and part of the trouble is that he is having to try to rediscover form in international cricket.

However, some good news for England, following wicketkeeper Matt Prior's century in the first Test against Pakistan. Writing on the cricket365 website, Alan Tyers says that Prior has never been a fan favourite. One of the reasons is because he has made few big contributions when the chips have been down. Hopefully, following, Trent Bridge, that perception will have changed.

This ton at Trent Bridge, though, is a proper Test ton: made in the second innings, against a genuine Test class bowling attack in helpful conditions, with the team in a spot of bother. A few more of those, especially if one of them comes against Australia, and I guarantee that Matt Prior need never worry about not having the full backing of the England fans again.