Sportsmail’s LAWRENCE BOOTH picks five of the best England centuries he’s ever seen

Jonny Bairstow blasted a sensational 136 off 92 deliveries to propel England to a stunning second Test victory against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

It’s a knock already being heralded as one of the all-time great Test centuries but where exactly does it rank alongside some of the other classics in England history?

Sportsmail’s LAWRENCE BOOTH offers his assessment… 

Ben Stokes 135* v Australia at Headingley in 2019

For sheer context and drama, this will take some beating. England still needed 76 when No 11 Jack Leach joined Ben Stokes in the middle. One mistake, and Australia would retain the urn with two Tests to play. It didn’t bear thinking about. Instead, Stokes batted like a genius, hitting eight sixes to all corners of Headingley and brilliantly manipulating the strike. 

Leach’s contribution to the partnership was one not out – a single he still dines out on. He should have been run out by Nathan Lyon with only two needed, while Stokes would have fallen lbw next ball had Australian captain Tim Paine not used up all their reviews. But moments later Stokes thrashed Pat Cummins through the covers and – after time seemed to stand still for a split second – a packed Headingley crowd leapt to its feet.

Ben Stokes and his unbeaten 135 against Australia at Headingley will always take some beating

Kevin Pietersen 158 v Australia at The Oval in 2005

At lunch on the last day of the 2005 Ashes, a nation was holding its breath. England, who needed victory to win the urn for the first time since 1986-87, were 127 for five, and led Australia by 133. Kevin Pietersen had already been dropped twice on his way to 35, by Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne, but came out after lunch as if he had a train to catch. 

He tucked in to Brett Lee, and ended up with a scintillating 158, including 15 fours and seven sixes. With Ashley Giles contributing 59, England reached 335 – and the boys of ’05 entered folklore.

Kevin Pieterson’s 158 against Australia at The Oval was key to England’s super Ashes 2005 win

Jonny Bairstow 136 v New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2022

England were 56 for three chasing 299 when Jonny Bairstow walked out to bat at Nottingham. Soon, it was 93 for four. But Bairstow came out after tea – ‘a cheese and ham toastie and a coffee’ – and batted like a man possessed, heeding his captain Ben Stokes’s advice to ‘hit it into the stands’ and play the innings of his life. The next 11.3 overs produced 133 runs, as Bairstow peppered the spectators with seven sixes, reducing Stokes to the unaccustomed role of second fiddle. By the time he fell for 136 off 92 balls – having hit 98 in boundaries alone – England had broken the back of what proved their record chase at Trent Bridge.

Jonny Bairstow’s century against New Zealand is immediately one of the all-time classics

Kevin Pietersen 149 v South Africa at Headingley in 2012

Against a backdrop of infighting, Pietersen – who was central to the unrest – scored a dismissive 149 from 214 balls against a world-class attack including Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis. He started to hit out on 43, when Morkel went round the wicket – Wisden said it was ‘as if he had woken the Kraken’. 

On reaching his century, he pointed his bat towards his wife, Jessica, and barely acknowledged his team-mates on the balcony. After the game, which was drawn, he added to the drama by saying it was ‘hard being me in that dressing-room’. Then came Textgate and Pietersen’s suspension. But his work for the year was not done.

In 2012, Pietersen scored a stunning century against South Africa amid a backdrop of unrest

Kevin Pietersen 186 v India at Mumbai in 2012-13

This was Pietersen’s second Test back after his ‘reintegration’ into a team now led by Alastair Cook following Andrew Strauss’s resignation after a 2-0 defeat by the South Africans. He had made just 19 runs in the first Test, at Ahmedabad, which England lost heavily. 

Now, on a turning track at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, he took India’s spinners apart, adding 206 for the third wicket with Cook. Pietersen finished with a magnificent 186 off 233 balls, setting England up for a series-levelling victory. They went on to win in India for the first time since 1984-85.

Pietersen’s century in Mumbai was key as England won in India for the first time 1984-85