Kevin Pietersen

Cut from a different cloth, Kevin Pieterson was a player never seen before in English cricket. He had a swagger, the never say die attitude that no other England player possessed during the 2000s. 

Born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Pieterson was a right-handed middle-order batsman who made his international debut in 2004. However, he made his mark in the away series against South Africa in 2005. Star player Andrew Flintoff was ruled out of the ODI series due to an injury and Pieterson was given an opportunity to cement his place in the England ODI setup.

The flamboyant batter was at his menacing best in the ODI series, amassing 454 runs in 7 matches, including three scintillating centuries against the best bowling attack at that point of time.

The world saw the real Kevin Pieterson in the 2005 Ashes series against the mighty Australian side at home. KP was selected ahead of Graham Thorpe and questions were raised when he was selected in the England Test squad. However, the dashing batsman justified his selection with a majestic ton in the fifth Test match at the Oval. He scored 158 on a green top and took on the likes of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. He finished the series as England’s top scorer, with 473 runs in five matches.

Pieterson continued his good form in the home series against Sri Lanka in 2006. He scored back-to-back centuries against the Lankans and became the first batsman since Graham Gooch in 1990 to score a century in three successive Test innings in England.

KP was included in the England squad for the 2006 Ashes series down under. England were dismal in the series, losing all five matches, but Pieterson was the only shining light in the England squad, accumulating 490 runs in five Test matches at an average of 54.44.

In the first ODI against New Zealand in 2008, Pieterson hit two sixes by ‘switch hitting’ while facing Scott Styris. He changed his stance from a right-handed batsman to a left-handed batter. Several commentators questioned his tactics and believed that the switch hit rule should be outlawed straightaway. 

In the same year, KP was handed over the England ODI captaincy and he made sure that the Pieterson era got off to a flying start as England thrashed South Africa 4-0 in the ODI series.

After a series loss against India in 2009, Pieterson expressed his desire to remove then coach, Peter Moores who had no international coaching experience prior to joining the England squad as their head coach. His relationship with ECB also deteriorated and Pieterson was sacked as England’s ODI skipper. 

Having missed the 2009 Ashes series due to an injury, the South African born was at his best against the Aussies in the 2010 Ashes series in Australia. Pieterson piled on runs and amassed 360 runs, which included a stunning 227 at the Adelaide Oval.

In 2012, KP announced his retirement from ODI cricket but decided to continue to play in T20I and Test formats. England toured India in late 2012 and Pieterson was included in the England Test squad. He had a successful tour, scoring 338 runs in four Test matches, including a century and two fifties. His century in the second Test match of the series was named as the third-best Test innings of the decade by Wisden in 2019.

He was drafted in the England squad for the 2013 Ashes tour down under. England lost the series 5-0 and Pieterson averaged just 29 in the five-match series. Following the tour, Andy Flower was removed as the head coach and Pieterson's salty relation with the ECB continued which resulted in his career being brought down by the England Cricket Board, citing a need to rebuild ‘team ethic and philosophy’.

Arguably one of the greatest English cricketers to grace the game, Pieterson still had a long career ahead of him when the right-handed batsman was axed from the England squad. He was a dashing player who captivated the audience like no other player could do. He has amassed 8181 Test runs for England in 104 Test matches which showed how great a player KP truly was. 

(As of May 2021)