New Captain Goes Holistic Over Growing Team Spirit

For Kevin Pietersen a hundred in his first Test as England captain is about as good as it gets. "I wouldn't say it's an easy job," he said. "It can only get worse." Since his sudden appointment less than a week ago the scrutiny upon Pietersen has been fiercer than ever but the hundreds keep coming. This was his third against South Africa in four Tests. He joined Andrew Strauss, Allan Lamb and Archie MacLaren as England captains who have marked their first Test in charge with a hundred.

"I just play the game I love," he said. "I was so happy when I flipped the coin yesterday because I knew the cricket was on its way. I am just happy playing and I just went out and expressed myself. It wasn't destiny. It was just another day. I didn't think that captaincy would affect my batting. When you go and bat you just have to bat. It is no surprise that I keep improving because I wake up every single morning trying to get better.

"This hundred probably does mean more because of all the scrutiny of the past few days. My relationship with the players has come on leaps and bounds in the past few days as I have learned a lot about how they operate. You have a really different perspective. You really want them to do well for you and for the team. It's more of a holistic kind of thing." England's first-innings lead of 122 owed much to Steve Harmison's Test-best 49, his half-century denied when Monty Panesar was run out without facing. "More than me getting a hundred today I wanted Steve to get fifty," Pietersen said. "He has been away from the game for six months. I love him. He is a great lad. To see him back, to see him smiling and laughing, cynical little man that he is, is great."

Harmison's return to the England side could be followed by up to a month at an England training camp in Bangalore and Mumbai before the two-Test series in India in December. The ECB's managing director, Hugh Morris, conceded yesterday that Harmison's presence was "a possibility" but said no decision would be made until after the tour parties had been selected.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has appointed Dene Hills, a former Australia A and Tasmania batsman, as its new head batting coach. Hills, who has been senior batting coach at Cricket Australia's Center of Excellence in Brisbane, will be based at the national performance centre in Loughborough when he takes up his post in October and responsible for coaching players in the England Lions and England Performance Program squads.

Complaints by Gloucestershire's chairman, John Light, about Ashley Giles' dual role as England selector and Warwickshire's director of cricket have been dismissed by Morris. Light protested in writing to Morris last week after Warwickshire had unsuccessfully approached two Gloucestershire players, Alex Gidman and Steve Kirby. "There is no question of Ashley behaving improperly but for us smaller clubs retaining players can be a problem and I feel that Ashley's dual role gives him an unfair advantage," he said.

Morris said: "Ashley is a person of great honesty and integrity and I have no fears that he may misuse his position. There are great advantages in having a selector so actively involved in the game and Ashley understands the clear distinction between his two roles."

Meanwhile Haroon Lorgat, the International Cricket Council chief executive, arrived in Pakistan yesterday ahead of the ICC's security task force, which is due in the country tomorrow to make a final investigation of security arrangements for next month's Champions Trophy.

The ICC has asked Pakistan's Australian-born coach, Geoff Lawson, to lobby players on their behalf. Lawson is convinced that the tournament can go ahead normally despite regular terrorist incidents.