Like a rare and endangered species, Kevin Pietersen's switch-hitting was granted protected status yesterday when MCC endorsed his innovation and confirmed that it does not contravene the Laws of the game. Pietersen's chutzpah may yet prompt changes to the Laws, though, because MCC has acknowledged that his new shot may have implications for the regulations governing wides and leg-before decisions. Those implications will be discussed by MCC's Laws sub-committee at its next meeting on August 12.

The first time that Pietersen revealed his ambidextrous abilities was at Edgbaston two years ago, when he played a similar reverse swipe for six off Muttiah Muralitharan in a Test match against Sri Lanka. Back in Birmingham today for the second match of the NatWest Series against New Zealand, Pietersen has been given the licence to continue with the audacious shot, which involves a change of grip and stance to become a left-hander. Not even Scott Styris, the unwitting victim of the two blows at the Riverside on Sunday, believes that the stroke should be outlawed.

“There's nothing wrong with what he's doing,” the New Zealand all-rounder said at Edgbaston yesterday. “Sometimes you've got to take your hat off and say, ‘Well played.' Maybe they should look at the wides, but that's it.

“As a bowler, it's probably no different to a guy coming down the wicket and you have the option of banging it in short. You get a little time while he turns and sets himself, so you have to think on your feet.”

This interpretation tallies with the statement yesterday from MCC, the custodian of the Laws, after a meeting at Lord's that included Keith Bradshaw, the chief executive, and John Stephenson, the head of cricket. Central to the approval for the shot was the belief that it does not upset the balance between bat and ball.

“The switch-hit is a difficult shot to execute and it incurs a great deal of risk for the batsman,” the statement read. “It also offers bowlers a good chance of taking a wicket and therefore MCC believes that the shot is fair to both batsman and bowler.”

It was also stated unequivocally that, although a bowler must declare whether he is to bowl left-handed or right-handed, the same requirement should not apply to the batsman. “While bowlers must inform umpires and batsmen of their mode of delivery, they do not provide warning of the type of delivery they will send down (for example, an off cutter or a slower ball),” the statement read.

When the Laws sub-committee meets in August, it will debate the complications regarding the definition of off side and leg side for leg before decisions and wides. For leg before wicket, Law 36.3 defines the off side as determined by the striker's stance at the moment the bowler starts his run-up.

Now Pietersen's shot has been rubber-stamped by MCC, it remains to be seen how many players will emulate him. Styris said that Jacob Oram, who bats left-handed, has shown the ability to hit right-handed sixes in practice. But Graeme Swann, the England off spinner, believes that it is different to do so in a match.

“Even if someone could play it, I don't think anyone else has the balls to try it in a one-day international,” Swann said. “I'm sure that there will be people in the next ten years who can do it, but I'll bet my bottom dollar there's no one else in the world at the moment who can do it like Kev.”

In the Edgbaston nets yesterday Ravi Bopara attempted the stroke without much success, while Swann said that his own attempts were worse. “I ended up hitting the floor, tripping over and pirouetting on a length and I've got a massive bruise on my thigh to show for my efforts,” he said.

England are expected to field an unchanged team today from the one who beat New Zealand by 114 runs on Sunday, although Andrew Strauss has again been summoned as cover for Alastair Cook, whose shoulder injury will be assessed today. New Zealand have called up Grant Elliott, the all-rounder, in place of James Marshall, who has been struggling for form.