Cricket: Century gives Pietersen reason to keep pushing on

Kevin Pietersen wants to make 10,000 test runs before he considers retirement and IPL possibility. Photo / AP

Kevin Pietersen's century at Old Trafford was a timely innings that served both England and himself and not just because the Ashes were retained. As a performer, Pietersen needs to feel both loved and relevant and his first Ashes century since Adelaide 2 years ago scored heavily on both those points.

It will be tempting for him to also see the hundred as an emphatic answer to those critics who felt his importance to the side was waning.

But if he does, the next question is how much longer will his body support him in his continued quest against the dark forces of scrutiny, especially now his body seems more prone to injury following recent ailments to knee and calf?

Pietersen, now 33, has said consistently that he wants to make 10,000 test runs before he considers retirement and a dollar-rich dotage in the Indian Premier League. He has 7705, so if he bats well and does not miss a series, he will reach his goal in two to three years time.

Andy Flower, England's team director, believes Pietersen will be committed for at least two years, until after the next World Cup. Yet, it was only last year that Pietersen quit all international one-day cricket, ostensibly to spend more time with his family, so Flower would be wise not to plan his team around him just yet.

"Everyone is aware that Kevin wants to play until the 2015 World Cup, but I don't think any of us can determine what happens in the medium to long term," said Flower yesterday. "He, like all the others, will be desperate to do well in the rest of this series and looking forward to the Ashes away. And not looking miles beyond that."

Pietersen is contracted to play all three formats for England, a taxing workload even for those much younger than him. Although not prone to the stresses of a bowler, he will be mindful of what happened to Andrew Flintoff who, after suffering various operations to knee and ankle, was forced to retire before cashing in on the riches of the IPL.

Unless Pietersen suddenly quits all international one-day cricket - as he did last year before performing a volte-face - he and Flower will need to manage the challenge of keeping him fit between them.

"He'll have to look after himself as well as possible because he's in his early 30s now," said Flower. Pietersen's innings against Australia, while nowhere near as swaggering as the one against South Africa last August, was a timely reminder of his Headingley pyrotechnics (on and off the field), and of the subsequent efforts made by him and rest of the team to put that unsavoury period behind them. Mind you, even the Montagues and Capulets might have found a common cause had the Ashes been at stake.

But stubborn though England's team director is, he has made an attempt to foster peace, heaping lavish praise on Pietersen whenever possible, including this Ashes series.

"It's been great to see him bat like he did, not only here but in the really important 64 he got at Trent Bridge."

Whether it is a deliberate strategy nobody can be sure, but Nasser Hussain used to do something similar with Andy Caddick, another talented cricketer who felt like an outsider.

Anyway, for the moment, pragmatism appears to have won over principle, which is how most sports teams in the real world are forced to operate.