da lvbet： Paul Collingwood put the blame for England’s 19-run defeat against SouthAfrica at Newlands on their poor fielding rather than the crucial, andslightly controversial, run-out of Kevin Pietersen
Andrew McGlashan at Newlands16-Sep-2007
Flashpoint: Kevin Pietersen’s dismissal undermined England’s run-chase © Getty Images
Paul Collingwood put the blame for England’s 19-run defeat against SouthAfrica at Newlands on their poor fielding rather than the crucial, andslightly controversial, run-out of Kevin Pietersen. With Englandchasing 155, Pietersen was dismissed after colliding with ShaunPollock as he attempted a quick single.”He [Pietersen] was looking at the fielder and the ball and Pollock,whether he meant it or not, got in his way,” explained Collingwood.”He would have got in very easily and that was a bit of bad luck wehad tonight, but even with that we still should have knocked thoseruns off.”Collingwood then suggested that the third umpire could have givenPietersen not out, even though it isn’t within his remit. “Sometimesyou think common sense would prevail and maybe the third umpire wouldgive him not out.”If that’s something that has to be put into the rules regardingdecisions like that I’m not too sure. I don’t want to make it a bigissue. It was the third umpire’s decision and he has to make thatquick decision.”Graeme Smith had no issues with the dismissal: “If I felt Shaun did iton purpose I would have called KP back but he was trying to get backto the stumps. It’s a big pitch out there and Kevin ran straight athim in the middle of the wicket.”Collingwood said it was England’s shoddy catching which let SouthAfrica off the hook after they had been reduced to 94 for 6. At leastsix chances went down, the most costly of which came when Albie Morkelwas on 14. Collingwood, back peddling from midwicket, couldn’t get a hand to a steepling top-edge and it appeared a more comfortable chance for OwaisShah running in from long-on.”It was very noisy out there and I wasn’t sure whether Owais had heardmy call because I saw him out of the corner of my eye,” saidCollingwood. “I don’t think our ground fielding was too bad, it wasthe catches and it was very costly in the end. It is something we haveto look at. I can hold my hands up on that one and we could haveprobably bowled South Africa out for maybe 130.”If they’d have got a score like that it would have put them out ofthe game – saying that I think we’d have still taken 154 at the startof the day and we were disappointed we didn’t knock them off.”