THE great innings that was clearly within Kevin Pietersen's powers came in only his fifth Test match yesterday at England's final hour of need in a never-to be forgotten Test series. The consequence of his first Test century, made in the face of one last heroic bowling performance by Shane Warne, who nearly had him caught for a duck, is that the Ashes are back in England's possession 16 years and 42 days after David Boon swept Nick Cook for four to complete a nine-wicket victory by Australia at Old Trafford in August 1989.

The moment of joy after so long was lost to some extent in cricket's arcane laws and regulations after England, still in serious danger of defeat at 127 for five at lunchtime, had finally been bowled out for 335.

By then, Pietersen had enhanced his first Test hundred with a series of majestic strokes and Ashley Giles, the archetypal team man, had made sure the game was safe with his highest Test score of 59. The end of the innings was a natural conclusion to a match that could no longer be won by either side with only 18 overs left, but the Australia openers had to come out to face four deliberately short-pitched balls before the umpires offered them a chance to come off for bad light. They did, and the commonsense decision to end the game was taken after an intervention by the referee.

There has never been a series followed at close quarters by so many as this. When Radio 4's computer was switched on in the Test Match Special commentary box yesterday morning there were 18,543 e-mail messages unread. The nation has been transfixed and delighted by a series that Ricky Ponting, the losing captain, described even in his disappointment as indubitably the best he has played in.

He might have said that Australia had not had the rub of the green in the final game. Michael Vaughan, his opposite number, acknowledged the importance of winning a toss that enabled England to bat in both their innings when the ball was doing little for fast bowlers. After Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard had seized back the initiative with the ball on Sunday, Pietersen made sure that it was not surrendered yesterday with an innings of formidable power that included seven sixes, a record for an Ashes innings.

The day began promisingly for England as Vaughan played some typically stylish strokes in the early overs against Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. A brilliant catch at full stretch to his right by Adam Gilchrist enabled Australia to break through and McGrath followed up typically by producing a perfect first ball for Ian Bell, pitching on off stump, on a length, and leaving him to take the edge. Warne made no mistake with the catch at first slip.

Warne has been a thorn in the flesh of Marcus Trescothick, as he has in his opening partner's, and having survived one appeal for leg-before he was out to the next one, defeated on the back foot by a huge break from the off. Had Pietersen been caught at slip for nought in the same over Australia might easily have gone on to win, but his outside edge deflected off Gilchrist's glove and Matthew Hayden could not adjust his hands in time.

Pietersen escaped a more straightforward chance eight overs before lunch when he had scored only 15. Warne was the culprit for once as Pietersen drove hard at Lee.

Warne quickly made amends by catching Flintoff instead off his own bowling, luring him into a drive with extra flight.

So England lunched nervously with a lead of only 133, five wickets in hand but 73 overs stretching ahead. This side invariably finds someone to come to the rescue, however, and in the hour after lunch the tide finally turned.

Paul Collingwood went a long way towards justifying his selection with a determined defensive innings, blocking Warne resolutely away from the close fielders during his 72 minutes of occupation, but it was the duel between Pietersen and Lee that mattered.

Lee had hit Pietersen three times on the body in an over of 90mph-plus balls before the interval, the third of them flying off his gloves over the slips' heads. Ponting, however, made his only mistake when he preferred Lee's brimstone to McGrath's marble coolness at the start of the decisive session.

Bowling short and fast again, Lee was outgunned by Pietersen's sharp reactions and extraordinarily fast bat speed. A volley of bold, risky hooks and one remarkable pull straight back past the bowler initiated a volley of 34 runs off 12 balls, including two hooked sixes. From 35 not out at lunch, Pietersen was 76 not out in a twinkling, thoroughly set and with the bit between his teeth.

Australia still had a final chance when Collingwood was caught off his glove at silly mid-off and, five overs later, Geraint Jones went back to a ball of full length from Shaun Tait and was bowled. Enter Giles to play one more staunch innings in the national cause.

By the time that Pietersen whipped across a straight ball, having added 15 fours to his sixes, his more experienced partner was striking handsome strokes with a confidence and competence that epitomised the team's.

The ecstasy and the awards remained. Flintoff was the first recipient of the Compton- Miller Medal and man of the series for England; Warne was man of the series for Australia. His final haul of 40 wickets is an Australian record for a five match series. It was a reminder that it was Australia every bit as much as England who had made this the best Ashes series of them all.

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