Ashes 2013: disciplined England target bore draw Some believe this will be Pietersen's last Ashes Test in England and while it has always been his aim to score 10,000 Test runs - a project that would incorporate the next home Ashes series in 2015 - he has looked more than his age this series as the aches and pains have mounted. He might have made better headway towards that goal had he tried to dominate Australia's bowlers as he did here in 2005. Instead, he allowed little things like people moving in the crowd to distract him, the net effect being an innings that was wholly unrepresentative of him with its quartet of fours. It fizzled out too, the umpires reviewing what looked like a straightforward catch to Shane Watson at first slip, off Mitchell Starc, after Pietersen suggested it might have been a bump ball. TV replays showed it was not and the capacity crowd's best hope of some belated entertainment went with him as he trudged off. England's sluggish intentions began with Root and Alastair Cook, who despite the caution chalked up their first half-century partnership of the series. The disciplined approach of Australia's bowlers throughout the series has made both men work hard for their runs and spectators work even harder for those moments of ecstasy that make a day at the Test worthwhile, and worth the money. Australia's control paid off when Cook became impatient and allowed his bat to get ahead of his pad as he pushed at one from Ryan Harris outside his off-stump. It was a failing Australia managed to exploit in the 2006/7 series and again in 2009 when he averaged in the mid-twenties. Of course, in the last Ashes Cook had an incredible series with the bat, blazing a record-breaking trail, but this one has seen him regress to the figures and mistakes of those earlier series. Root needed a good innings just to leave Australia a parting memento of his talent before they all meet up again at the Gabba on Nov 21. After his 180 in the second innings at Lord's he has looked timid, lacking in the youthful zest and confidence that epitomised his early innings. At 22, his form is bound to ebb and flow a bit but yesterday he looked in command again until he top-edged a sweep off Nathan Lyon to Watson at backward square leg. Jonathan Trott also needed a score and he almost got one. Seeing off Australia's leg theory, which he has succumbed to on a couple of occasions, he was looking as fluent as is possible in the context of England's crawl when Starc got his swing geometry right with the second new ball and had him lbw. The sluggish pitch has not helped produce dynamic cricket. Batsmen in fine form, such as Ian Bell, have been able to time it, but those searching for form have needed to wait long for the bad ball. There are signs that the pitch is beginning to turn with both Lyon and Steve Smith, finding some spin and bounce. But they have been too sporadic for England not to save the follow-on today. Once that has occurred, it will probably be down to Australia to risk a four-nil loss to entice England to play a shot in anger, something they have not managed to do yet.