Australia's cricket writers today hailed old nemesis Kevin Pietersen's fighting century in the third Test, saying the knock had tempered the tourist's hopes of a dramatic Ashes comeback.
Pietersen's first hundred of this Ashes series and his 23rd overall in Tests helped put England within sight of avoiding the follow-on at Manchester's Old Trafford on Saturday.
At the close of the third day, England were 294 for seven -- still 233 runs behind -- after Pietersen had made 113.
While Michael Clarke's team will still fancy their chances of creeping back into the series, Australia's scribes conceded that Pietersen's knock had made it all the more difficult of staying alive with two Tests to play.
Some pointed to Pietersen's game-changing innings of 158 in the drawn final Test that helped England win the 2005 series and said with his latest batting masterpiece he could have thwarted Australia again.
"Painful memories of 2005 resurfaced at Old Trafford today as Kevin Pietersen yet again interposed himself between Australia and a desperate Ashes revival," The Australian's Wayne Smith wrote.
Australia is down 2-0 in the series but the third Test began well for the tourists who declared at 527 and sent in England to bat.
"The wickets came, but in a slow drip feed. Never could the Australians get a run-on and the reason was Pietersen," wrote Smith.
