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Sydney: Australian media on Thursday seized on Kevin Pietersen's "brain snap" dismissal but most commentators agreed it was honours even after the opening day of the Ashes series against England in Cardiff.
England were 336/7 at stumps at Sophia Gardens after paceman Peter Siddle claimed two wickets in the final overs of the first day to drag Ricky Ponting's tourists back into the contest.
But it was the cheap dismissal of England's most potent batsman that dominated discussions of the opening day down under.
"Kevin Pietersen has taken just one day to reinforce what many already suspect," The Australian said.
"It is his brain, or more precisely when it will explode, that will prove the axis on which this Ashes series turns.
"The super-talented South African-born batsman cannot be considered amongst the game's great batsmen as long as he continues to throw his wicket away in such spectacular fashion."
Pietersen had batted in largely responsible fashion until he rashly tried to sweep off-spinner Nathan Hauritz from well outside off-stump and top-edged a gentle catch to Simon Katich at short leg when on 69.
Former Test batsman Damien Martyn said that Pietersen will regret the mode of his dismissal.
"A great player like Pietersen, as the leader and with just 10 overs before the new ball, getting out in the manner he did was something which he will regret," Martyn said.
"We all have brain snaps. He had done all the hard work and to get out to a soft shot like that was unacceptable."
Former Test leg-spinner Stuart MacGill agreed that Pietersen had only himself to blame.
"It's possible that Hauritz got Kevin Pietersen out today, but I think most people would agree that only one person got Pietersen out, and he's not a bowler," MacGill said.
"The good news is that he (Hauritz) bowled to Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood for a long period of time and didn't get hurt. He's going to take a lot of confidence out of that."
Hauritz was a controversial choice to play in the opening Ashes Test after taking just two dismissals for a total of 260 runs in 68 overs in the leadup games.
Sydney's Daily Telegraph said Australia's gamble to play a bowling battery with no Ashes experience was a point of contention.
"The omission of veteran paceman Stuart Clark meant Australia fielded a bowling arsenal completely devoid of Ashes experience -- for the first time since the 1978 World Series Cricket era," it said.
