If the volume of the concerted claim was any guide – and it ain’t necessarily so – it must have been close.All of which was the cue for Pietersen. Having made a first-innings duck, he was off the pair immediately with a nudge to mid-on, which would have been a huge relief even to one so self-confident. Pietersen has attracted many headlines, but plenty in the last few days had concerned the number of noughts he accrues: nine at Nottinghamshire last summer and one in his first Championship innings for Hampshire.When he is not getting ducks, of course, Pietersen is convincing bowlers they chose the wrong occupation. This was a position suited for him, because he does not like to contain his natural instincts. He swept Mushtaq for six off the front foot and pulled Kirtley for six over mid-wicket.Ervine, though a little more measured, was not much slower in gathering runs. Five an over began to look a doddle, and when Pietersen took 14 in three balls from Mushtaq, all fearsome pounds to leg, the finishing line was at Hampshire’s mercy. Shane Warne, their captain, has promised positive cricket, and he means it.What was left of the crowd was kept waiting for Pietersen.

Billy Taylor, the nightwatchman, carved away merrily at the start. The way he dismembered South Africa’s attack in a series of high octane one-day internationals earlier in the year put into perspective a lower-key assignment by the English seaside.It was pretty obvious, at least at the start, that Hampshire had no intention of doing anything other than going for the target. To the next ball, John Crawley edged a half-drive low to the wicketkeeper’s right. In a former career, he was a tree surgeon, which presumably meant saving the blighters, but here he used the bat as though it was an axe felling them.Jolly good fun it was, too, but no surprise at all that he was caught smearing one to long leg.

Herschelle Gibbs followed, caught at slip for eight.After sharing an opening stand of 191 with his captain Graeme Smith, 104, on the previous day that set the platform for South Africa’s commanding position, he took 23 balls over his first run of the day against accurate fast bowling by Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards, leaving Dippenaar to keep the score moving. Only a succession of diving saves at extra-cover by Dwayne Bravo denied both batsmen certain boundaries off the medium-pace of Reon King.Once De Villiers and Dippenaar got through the first hour, carefully adding 34 off 13 overs, they increased the tempo as Powell and Edwards were rested. Hampshire, who would have needed another 196 from 108 overs with seven wickets in hand, now required them from 40 overs.That seemed to favour the home team in this local derby, but then again the presence of Pietersen made anything possible. On the way to this stalemate, both teams engineered winning positions and the new star, Kevin Pietersen, blazed away in breathtaking fashion.When he was at crease, Hampshire were ahead, but when his innings of 61 ended after 51 balls they were behind The equation was as simple as that. At this rate it would be plain perverse not to pick him in England’s Test team. Sussex, from being all long faces and quiet as if in a cathedral close, were suddenly all smiles and joshing, as if in a Friday-night disco bar.Thus was rescued a match which had been delightfully poised and had been keenly contested to a commendable standard throughout The delay had altered the balance.