Sydney:  Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen restored England's confidence heading into this month's Ashes Test opener with timely knocks in their tour practice match against New South Wales here.

Cook, the Essex left-hander, consolidated his grip on the No.3 Test batting position with an impressive half-century against the Test-strength NSW bowling attack, just 10 days out from the first Test against Australia in Brisbane.

Cook, buccaneering Pietersen, opening batsman Andrew Strauss and skipper Andrew Flintoff led the England run flow at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while Ian Bell and Marcus Trescothick foundered.

At stumps on the second day of the three-day match on Monday, with no result likely, England were 256 for four in reply to the NSW first innings declaration of 355 for nine.

Pietersen, who hit some typically flamboyant shots, was unconquered on 80  off 111 balls with 10 fours and two sixes, while Flintoff slugged it out with him on 48.

Cook, who scored 214 batting for Essex against the Australians on last year's Ashes tour, looked the part, playing strongly off his pads and the back foot.

He received a welcoming"throat-high lifter first ball from Australia's speed demon Brett Lee, but settled down to play some elegant shots.

Cook batted for 158 minutes with seven fours before he was lbw to Glenn McGrath for 59.

While Cook flourished, Bell was out for a second-ball duck and missed a great chance to improve his chance for a Test spot in competition with Cook and Paul Collingwood, with England expected to play four bowlers along with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff against the Aussies in Brisbane on November 23.

Trescothick's troubled series lead-up took another turn for the worse when he played on a delivery from Lee and was bowled for eight.

That followed the Somerset left-hander's abject two in last Friday's one-day loss to the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.

Trescothick is recovering from a stress disorder that forced him to take a complete break to recover during England's India tour last February and the subsequent English summer.

He was almost bowled first ball of the innings by McGrath and only lasted 14 balls.

Strauss had a life on 32 when he was put down by Stuart Clark at third slip off Nathan Bracken.

But Clark redeemed himself with a freakish caught and bowled to send Strauss on his way for 50.

Clark stuck out his right hand on his follow-through and snatched the catch.

Strauss batted for 88 minutes and hit eight boundaries in his 57-ball knock.

Clark struck again two balls later, dismissing Bell for a two-ball duck, probing outside off-stump and caught behind.

NSW declared their first innings on the wicket fall of Bracken for eight.

Steve Harmison picked up the wickets of Moises Henriques (29) and Daniel Smith (45) to finish the innings with 3-95 off 20 overs, while new-ball partner Matthew Hoggard had Nathan Hauritz caught by a diving Ashley Giles at mid-wicket for five.

James Anderson, who has been given the nod by team coach Duncan Fletcher to play ahead of Sajid Mahmood in the first Test, had Bracken snapped up by Trescothick at first slip with the first ball of his 16th over to finish with 2-45.