FOR PIET'S SAKE, KEVIN

While Collingwood showed true grit in making his 135, KP was caught out on 94, going for a flamboyant six to make his ton.

Vaughan loser - Click here for full report

Pietersen is the classy star of the show and is one of the best batsmen I have seen in the past decade.

Why then is it impossible for his mindset and concentration to ignore the benefit of staying right to the end?

Remember how Australian Andrew Symonds changed his life — not just his cricket fortunes — by making 143 not out and obeying Ricky Ponting’s instruction to be on the pitch at the end of that World Cup innings in Johannesburg in 2003?

Skill

Different style cricket but an identical mind challenge.

Collingwood showed everyone how to do it, batting for his cricketing life with skill and intelligence to be there at the end with Monty Panesar.

Although Collingwood came into this match out of form and low in confidence, he is a cricketer of character.

‘Gutsy’ we rate him in Australia. In the last Ashes battle I saw him make 96 in the First Test at the Gabba, then 206 and 22 not out at Adelaide in the Second.

Before next year’s Ashes, Michael Vaughan could do no better than eyeball Pietersen and ask him a great favour — to aim to be on the ground at the end of every England innings.

Great to see Andrew Flintoff bowling reverse swing — the skill which so disconcerted the Australians in 2005.

The finicky modern-day players who complain about not being able to ‘pick up’ the ball in flight would not have enjoyed batting in England when there were no sightscreens on Test grounds.