Kevin Pietersen became the fastest batsman to reach 1,000 first-class runs for Surrey but could only look on enviously as Rory Burns, Kumar Sangakkara and Steve Davies made the bulk of the county’s 293-5 against Essex.

Pietersen, whose objective in playing for Surrey is to score so many runs that the England selectors cannot ignore him, had already been dropped on 27 when he was out lbw to Jesse Ryder, Essex’s New Zealand all-rounder, for 32 at the Kia Oval.

It looked as though Burns had given Pietersen, who made only 19 and 53 not out in Surrey’s opening game against Glamorgan at Cardiff last week, the perfect platform by sharing partnerships of 61 with Zafar Ansari and 79 with Sangakkara.

There was some early movement, particularly for the seasoned David Masters, on a slightly damp pitch tinged with green, but Ansari, dropped at third slip off Ryder on five, had battled to 18 in 23 overs when he was lbw to James Porter.

By then Burns, always the more secure and enterprising of the two left-handed openers, was going well and even outscored Sangakkarra, who made 149 and 40 on his Surrey debut at Cardiff, and seemed hungry for more.

It was trying to match Sangakkara, however, that brought about Burns’ downfall.

Sangak-kara had just welcomed Monty Panesar into the Essex attack by launching him high over long on for six when Burns tried to repeat the shot and sliced horribly to point. He had made 78 off 159 balls with six fours.

Pietersen, playing his 17th innings for Surrey, needed only two balls to pick up the two runs he wanted to become their fastest batsman to reach 1,000 first-class runs – Mark Ramprakash and Zander de Bruyn both needed 18 innings to reach the milestone.

But he was never really at ease, especially after Sangakkara, who had made 52 off 103 balls with six fours and a six, tried to work Ryder on the onside and was lbw.

He hit four fours, a couple of them vintage shots through the covers and midwicket, but he was dropped at point off Porter and had faced 78 balls for his 32 when he got neither forward nor back to one from Ryder that kept low and was palpably lbw.

Two balls later, Jason Roy went the same way to Ryder but Davies, who made 200 not out last week, was again in prime form on his way to 69 and Gary Wilson kept him company until the close.