Kevin Pietersen believes his seventh Test century has helped England to make West Indies nervous going into the final day of the first Test at Lord's.

Pietersen's 109 carried his team to 284 for eight declared as they set the tourists an unlikely 401 to win, and he is confident England have sound prospects of going 1-0 up in the four-Test series.

''We wanted 420, but we'll take 400,'' Pietersen admitted. That's a pretty big score, and I know that if I was in the West Indies camp I'd be a bit nervous.''

England's hopes are compromised by the absence of the injured Matthew Hoggard, who may have to miss the next Test at Headingley with the thigh strain he suffered in the first innings.

Even so, Pietersen believes there is enough in the pitch to give Durham duo Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett, as well as Monty Panesar, a chance to finish off the Windies.

''We haven't won a Lord's Test for a long time, because the wicket is so flat,'' he said. "But even while I was in, there was enough in it. I got beaten several times.

''If we dig a trench on a good length and build some pressure there is no reason why we can't take ten wickets.''

Windies coach David Moore identified Panesar - fresh from a career-best six for 129 - as an obvious danger.

Pietersen, however, retains great regard for all England's bowlers.

''Monty could be the key. But we have a lot of fire power in Plunkett and Harmison, which we haven't seen properly in this match,'' he said.

As for his own contribution, Pietersen was doubly determined after his relative failure in an England first innings which featured four individual hundreds. ''I knew I needed to build an innings,'' he said, as he reflected on his 122-ball hundred.

''I was in one-day mode in the first innings and I went away after that and worked very hard in the nets with Peter Moores.

''I tried to get as much patience back in my game as I possibly could.

''That's why it took me a long time to get going. But once I identified the situation, it was a case of trying to score as quickly as I could, making sure I didn't do anything stupid either.''

Pietersen had some heated conversations in the middle with Chris Gayle, who ended the day with a grimace rather than a trademark smile when he was felled by a delivery from Harmison which hit him in the box.

''Chris and I are really good friends,'' said Pieterson. ''We talk to each other every week, wherever he is, wherever I am.

''It was just friendly banter. But it was particularly pleasing to see him get one this evening...it did make me giggle.

''I'll be on the phone tonight to advise him on how he should have played it.''

Moore, meanwhile, is pinning his hopes on Gayle and one or two others in the Windies line-up - and he still rates the tourists' chances of pulling off an unlikely win.

''I think it's very evenly poised at the moment,'' he said.

''England, with their big first-innings score, were in a very good position - and then having us five for 187 they were in an excellent position.

''But I thought we fought very hard to get to where we are. We went close bowling them out before their declaration.

"W are in the game chasing 394 off 98 overs tomorrow.''

The West Indies' first-innings batting leaves Moore with grounds for optimism. ''We scored 363 yesterday,'' he said.

''I know we're talking about a fifth-day wicket - I'm not trying to delude myself - but we did that without putting the pedal to the metal and without Gayle scoring lots of runs.''

The time taken up by Gayle's injury meant there was time for only two overs last night, the tourists reaching seven for none.