Kevin Pietersen is being backed to enter a “purple patch” after looking much closer to his best in an innings of 72 during the drawn second Test against Sri Lanka here at Lord’s. The talented Pietersen made just three before he was lbw to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath in England’s innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff. Herath did for him again at Lord’s on Tuesday, producing a fine ball that pitched outside leg and clipped the top of off-stump. That was the 20th time in his past 65 Test innings that Pietersen had been dismissed by a left-arm spinner. But he had looked in increasingly fluent touch before failing to complete what would have been his first Test century in England since he made exactly 100 against his native South Africa at The Oval in 2008.
“It wasn’t an easy situation when he (Pietersen) went in, dark cloud cover and the lights on,” England captain Andrew Strauss told reporters. “Lord’s does a lot more in those conditions, added the opening batsman of his Middlesex home ground. So he did have to graft pretty hard then. “He did that outstandingly well and then obviously came out the other side and played some lovely shots today (Tuesday). “We always knew he was going to score runs at some stage, and we hope this is the catalyst to go and have a purple patch like Alastair Cook’s having.”
