Pietersen on a roll as outsiders join the fray

He has started taking wickets now. From the start I warned that the captaincy could well have an impact on Kevin Pietersen's form. And I was right. Admittedly I felt that the extra responsibility might have a detrimental effect on his performance. So far the opposite has been the case. He seems to be an even better cricketer now.

It remains early days, but on the field Kevin Pietersen, it must be acknowledged, has been brilliant: a Test century and a victory at The Oval; a superbly paced 90, a couple of vital wickets, a sure-handed run-out and many adroit bowling changes at Headingley on Friday night led to a rare one-day triumph against South Africa.

As Graeme Smith said afterwards: 'England played with more intensity and skill.' The difference in intensity was palpable. When South Africa took their first wicket, they smiled and shrugged their shoulders (perhaps they were ambivalent about wanting to dismiss the slowcoach, Ian Bell). When Steve Harmison dismissed Smith he was mobbed almost to the point that we feared another injury scare (Andrew Flintoff has lost weight, but a bear hug from him can still have consequences).

However my impression is that much of Pietersen's best work since his appointment has taken place off the field and in selection meetings. Pietersen has been prepared to pick players with 'baggage', the talented yet infuriating. In this he reminds me of Nasser Hussain - and this pair are not the most obvious of bedfellows.

Upon his appointment as captain Hussain recalled Andrew Caddick, who had never been selected in his predecessor's reign (that of Alec Stewart), and Phil Tufnell. Both were potential match-winners; both occasionally drove captains and colleagues scatty. But Hussain wanted quality first and he would find a way to deal with their idiosyncrasies. Hussain himself often felt an outsider as a player. Sometimes he was reckoned to be too self-absorbed; he was unlikely to lead the singing in the back of the bus. He preferred to go his own way. When he became captain he was not frightened to bring the 'outsiders' back. He understood them better than most.

Pietersen, who must have felt a bit of an outsider at times on his cricketing journey, has done the same. In his eyes, being talented is more important than being reliable or clubbable. So Harmison returns straightaway. It now seems crazy he did not come back earlier in the summer. There was the whiff of him having not served his penance for past misdemeanours in the reluctance to recall him.

But Pietersen not only tossed Harmison straight into the Test side. It was the new captain, not the coach or national selector, who travelled to a Nottingham hotel to persuade Harmison back into the one-day fold. In his argument Pietersen may have mentioned a certain trip to Antigua, who knows? Who cares? The pursuit of the best team, rather than the most deserving one, is priority number one.

Then there's Owais Shah, who must have felt like an outsider over the past couple of years. Shah doesn't always help himself. For example, his decision to skip Middlesex's match against the South African tourists grated; it was a poor career move. But he has talent. Pietersen has promoted him to No 3. We wait to see whether Shah produces.

Matt Prior, who had a good game behind the stumps on Friday, is back. He grated, too, when he took over behind the stumps in the Test team: too much mouth, too many drops. But, potentially, Prior, has the most to offer of current English keepers, simply because he is the best batsman among them. Back he comes.

This pattern could even apply to Samit Patel, whom Pietersen would have known as a nipper at Trent Bridge. Patel was once removed as England under-19s captain, deemed to be a little too pleased with himself - and a little dumpy; not quite the model young pro (he was replaced as U19 captain by Alastair Cook). But Patel has always had talent - as a batsman rather than as a bowler. In he comes as well.

So suddenly rays of light everywhere. But Pietersen was right to point out after the Headingley match: 'We always start well and we end up messing it up a bit, so I think Nottingham on Tuesday is a huge, huge, fixture for us.'

For that game Paul Collingwood can - and will - return after his ban. My inclination would be to keep the same batting order with Andrew Flintoff at five, though England have so many batsmen in this squad there is scope for flexibility. That flexibility might include the omission of Bell sooner rather than later if he cannot produce at the top of the order.

Either Ravi Bopara or Luke Wright will give way to accommodate Collingwood. It makes sense for Bopara to be retained, if only to have a little more variety in the bowling. At present England's four main bowlers all hit the bat hard, which is what Wright tries to do. Bopara tends to take pace off the ball. So the captain has more options. Then come the unlikeliest of spin twins, Patel... and Pietersen.