Kevin Pietersen’s spin exposes the missing link

Just as he had in the first innings, captain Andrew Strauss threw the ball to Pietersen just before lunch after his four-man seam attack failed to make use of favourable overhead conditions.

The first innings centurion again took just two deliveries before finding prodigious turn to thud the ball into Jacques Rudolph’s pads and trap him leg before for 69. And he returned after lunch to dismiss captain Graeme Smith for 52, caught at short leg by debutant James Taylor.

Third umpire Asad Rauf turned down Smith’s review despite replays proving inclusive as South Africa reached 129 for two after lunch.

Rudolph and Smith had added 120 runs for South Africa’s first wicket as the tourists’ batsmen ensured the rain affected second Investec Test would almost certainly finish in a draw.

Strauss, whose decision to leave out Swann will inevitably come under even more scrutiny following Pietersen’s latest successes, arrived at the ground desperate for his bowlers to at least strike an all-important psychological blow ahead of next week’s third and final Test at Lord’s.

With South Africa 33 runs ahead in their second innings Matt Prior talked bullishly last night about England’s prospects of levelling the series today. But once again it was South Africa who finished the morning session in control as Rudolph, opening the batting in place of the injured Alviro Petersen, and Smith added 81 runs in a session that was twice interrupted by rain. At lunch the tourists’ collective series total stood at 1,179 runs for 13 wickets lost in three innings.

Pietersen, whose continued contractual wrangling with the ECB has been the subject of intense speculation during this Test, was expected to bowl many more overs this afternoon to allow England’s fast bowling quartet of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Steve Finn time to nurse sore limbs and bruised egos.

But more wickets would also focus the spotlight even more starkly on the decision to omit Swann. One of the pacemen — Finn looks the most vulnerable — seems certain to miss out at Lord’s next week to allow Swann’s return to a bowling unit that has been brought back down to earth with a thud.

There will be those pressing for a five-man attack but it is unlikely England will change their four-pronged policy.

Smith passed 2,000 runs against England just before lunch — at an average of more than 60 — but was also dropped by Anderson diving low to his right at second slip off Tim Bresnan when on 44.