Kevin Pietersen has defended the extravagant sweep shot that cost him his wicket and let Australia off the hook towards the end.

Pietersen was England's top scorer with 69 in the hosts' score of 336/7 on the first day of the first Ashes Test at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

But the dasher, in an attempt to paddle a ball from off-spinner Nathan Hauritz from well outside off stump, top-edged an easy catch to short leg.

‘The Times' reported that television pictures captured Pietersen back in the dressing room banging his head with his hand in frustration when he saw a replay of the stroke. Later, however, he denied that he had given away his wicket.

Honours even at the end of the day

It was plain bad luck

"You guys look deeper than I do," Pietersen was quoted as saying in ‘The Times'. "When you are out, there is nothing you can do about it. I was unfortunate to hit the ball on to my helmet, otherwise it would have been a single to fine leg.

"Hauritz probably outfoxed me. I thought he bowled very good lines and varied his pace. He does not have the mystery spin of a (Muttiah) Muralitharan or (Ajantha) Mendis but he is a clever bowler, he knows what he is doing. He is not a fool."

An unlikely ally

Tim Nielsen, the Australia head coach, however, chose to support the South Africa-born batsman.

"That is the way he plays," Nielsen said. "He swept probably 15 times before that pretty well. If a guy nicks a cover drive, you don't tell him to stop cover driving."