KP's defiance in defeat

Scorecard
OK, so Pietersen's second England hundred in the space of a week (his third would follow six days later) did not result in victory for his side against a formidable South African one-day unit, but that was hardly his fault. By reaching a century in only 69 balls, Pietersen had beaten Marcus Trescothick's England record - against India at Kolkata in 2001-02 - by a full 11 deliveries, which was like shaving half a second off the world 100m best. It was as if his team-mates were engaged in a three-legged race by comparison.

There were some who felt Pietersen's celebrations after hitting Andre Nel's last ball of the match for six to advance from 94 to 100 overlooked the fact that England, chasing a massive 312, had lost by seven runs. But if his knock at Bloemfontein could arguably have been dismissed as a one-off, this was the innings that alerted the cricketing world to the reality that they now had a special talent on their hands.

Once more, he set out with relative caution, taking 25 balls over his first 21 runs. But thereafter, Buffalo Park was treated to an array of fours and sixes, with three-quarters of his runs coming on his favoured leg-side, and well over half plundered in front of square. Pietersen required only a further 13 balls to reach fifty, and from there just 31 to get to his hundred. In all he hit six fours and four sixes, three of them off the left-arm spin of Nicky Boje, and began Nel's last over of the match on 86. It was typical of his sense of showmanship that the last ball disappeared for the necessary six.

Only nine other players had made faster one-day international hundreds, and had England's bowlers not leaked 111 runs in the last 10 overs of the South African innings, Pietersen's runs would probably have resulted in victory. Presumably the pleasure of silencing another hostile crowd partly made up for the disappointment.