Kevin Pietersen put forward a compelling case for the continued presence of 50-over cricket on the international calendar with a stunning century to secure an emphatic 114-run victory for England over New Zealand in the NatWest Series opener.
Just 24 hours after he predicted the astonishing rise of Twenty20 cricket would ultimately sound the death knell for the longer one-day format, Pietersen delivered the type of spectacular innings which may yet breathe new life into this form of the game.
His stunning, unbeaten 110 off only 112 balls transformed England's innings which was stuttering at the halfway stage but eventually reached a commanding 307 for five. In reply, New Zealand were dismissed for a lowly 193 in another one-sided encounter at Chester-le-Street.
"To back up from Friday night in the Twenty20 and go out and do pretty much the same breeds confidence," said captain Paul Collingwood. "We are not going to get too carried away but there were some great individual performances. KP was unbelievable, and overall a great team performance."
It was the type of performance from Pietersen which could only have been delivered in the longer format, where batsmen have the time to develop their innings, and may one day be used as evidence in defence of 50-over cricket.
His brilliant knock, which included eight fours and three sixes, overshadowed a useful return to form from captain Collingwood after his struggles during the Test series, and another encouraging bowling display from Stuart Broad.
In reply New Zealand never looked like reaching the formidable total and Collingwood, boosted by his earlier innings, ended New Zealand's resistance in swift fashion by claiming four for 15 in just 2.5 overs to seal the comfortable triumph with 7.1 overs remaining.
