Cricket: Pietersen Confident Despite Lack of Bowlers

England's meagre bowling attack will lack Matthew Hoggard because of a torn thigh muscle for the climax of the first Test against West Indies today and the pitch has been flat enough for five England players to score hundreds, but one of them, Kevin Pietersen, still predicted last night that they can force victory.

"We are in a commanding position," said Pietersen, whose seventh Test hundred, a coolly paced 109 from 138 balls, left West Indies needing 401 for victory. "We wanted 420 but we will take 400," he said. "If I was in the West Indies camp I would be a bit nervous. We haven't won a Lord's Test for a couple of years because the wicket has been so flat but there is enough in the wicket for us to take 10 wickets."

England's batting statistics at Lord's are becoming ever more domineering. Graham Gooch's 333 against India was the first of 19 England Test hundreds at Lord's between 1990 and 2003. They have scored another 19 in the past three years.

Pietersen made light of the horseplay with the West Indies off-spinner, Chris Gayle, which characterized the latter stages of his innings. It involved several instances of backchat, and even a gentle shoulder-charge. Gayle's warm congratulations after Pietersen's dismissal told that there had been no falling out. "Sometimes I look for confrontation, but not today. Me and Chris are really good friends. We talk every week. It was just friendly banter. It might look silly on occasions but it's a way of keeping me tuned in and relaxing. I can't just concentrate, concentrate, concentrate. I'm no Einstein."

England have only three fit frontline bowlers, and Steve Harmison's form has fluctuated wildly, but Pietersen unsurprisingly is keeping faith. "We know that Steve Harmison is going to click. The sky is the limit for that bloke. He could be the best bowler in the world. We haven't seen the fire power properly from Steve and Liam Plunkett so hopefully they will get going."

One certain outcome today is that Michael Vaughan will be named in England's squad for the second Test which begins at Headingley on Friday.

Vaughan expects to resume the captaincy after recovering from a fractured finger, although he chose not to expose it to Lancashire's attack during Yorkshire's seven-wicket defeat in the Friends Provident Trophy at Old Trafford yesterday. Andrew Flintoff did play for Lancashire as a specialist batsman, making 26 from 37 balls, but his presence in England's second-Test squad remains more doubtful and will depend on another assessment today.

Owais Shah looks certain to be the batsman who steps down for Vaughan after making two single-figure scores in a Test replete with runs, so many runs, indeed, that David Moore, the West Indies coach, even suggested optimistically that a West Indies victory could not be entirely discounted.

"We got 363 in a day in the first innings without putting our foot on the pedal," he said. "So without overstating the case who knows what is possible?"