Pietersen flops again in Bangladesh

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (AFP), Tue, Mar 09 2010 - Ace England batsman Kevin Pietersen failed to find form ahead of a two-Test series against Bangladesh, scoring just 20 in a drawn warm-up match on Tuesday.

Pietersen, who contributed only 41 in three one-day internationals against the hosts recently, also flopped in the first innings of the match, making two before falling to left-arm spinner Mehrab Hossain.

He faced 23 balls in the second innings before being bowled by part-time spinner Mohammad Ashraful.

England, needing 284 to win, finished at 185-5 in their second innings, with skipper Alastair Cook (42) gaining valuable batting practice before the Test series starts in Chittagong on Friday.

The final Test begins in Dhaka on March 20.

The hosts earlier declared their second innings closed at 362-5, with Shuvagoto Chowdhury top-scoring with an unbeaten 91.

Ashraful could not find a place in the Test squad announced in Dhaka on Tuesday after failing in the practice match, scoring one and 30. He is also without a half-century in his last 12 Test innings.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh A: 202 (Raqibul Hasan 107 not out; J. Tredwell 6-95, S. Finn 2-13) and 362-5 decl (Shuvagoto Chowdhury 91 not out, Dolar Mahmud 66 not out, Raqibul 51, Saghir Hossain 51; Tredwell 2-57).

England XI: 281-7 decl (J. Trott 101 retd, M. Prior 73 not out, I. Bell 47; Mehrab Hossain 2-59, Mahbubul Alam 2-38) and 185-5 (A. Cook 42, T. Bresnan 36, M. Carberry 35, I. Bell 21 not out, K. Pietersen 20).

Result: Match drawn