KEVIN PIETERSEN

England Team Player

DETAILS:
Full name - Kevin Peter Pietersen
Born - June 27, 1980, Pietermaritzburg, Natal
Current age - 27 years 213 days
Major teams - England, Hampshire, ICC World XI, KwaZulu-
Natal, Natal, Nottinghamshire
Nickname - KP, Kelves, Kapes
Batting style - Right-hand bat
Bowling style - Right-arm off break
Height - 6 ft 4 in
Education - Maritzburg College, University of SA
PROFILE:
Expansive with the bat and explosive with the bombast, the South
African-born Kevin Pietersen is not one for the quiet life.
Pietersen, an enthusiastic, bold-minded and big-hitting No 5, first
ruffled feathers by shunning South Africa - he was disenchanted with
the quota system - in favour of England; his eligibility coming
courtesy of an English mother.
He never doubted he would play for England: he has self-confidence in
spades but, fortunately, he has sackfuls of talent too.
Sure enough, as soon as he qualified in September 2004.
He was invited to tour Zimbabwe for that winter's one-dayers, where
he averaged 104 in three innings.
Success here earned him a late call into England's team against none
other than South Africa in early 2005.
 Undeterred by hostile receptions from the home crowds, he
announced his arrival - loudly, of course - with three centuries in
five innings, and in doing so demonstrated his peerless eye for the
ball and for making headlines, too.
On reaching his maiden ton in the second ODI at Bloemfontein, he
kissed his badge with unreserved fervor and afterwards announced
his next ambition: getting a tattoo of three lions and his England
number.
Playing at Test level was next on the Pietersen to-do list, and, as a
man who puts his money, if not always his mind, where his mouth
is, it was only a matter of time.
Overlooked for two Tests against Bangladesh, he made his debut
against Australia at Lord's of all places, and responded with a pair
of hard-hitting fifties in a losing cause.
Six dropped catches in the series appeared to have dented his
brash confidence, but with the series at stake.
He once again showed his unswerving eye for the limelight by
clubbing a phenomenal 158 on the final day at The Oval, to secure
the draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18
years.
First to congratulate him on his feat was Shane Warne, his good
friend and captain at Hampshire, whom Pietersen had joined at
the start of the season after three eventful and fractious years at
Nottinghamshire.
Unsurprisingly, that innings proved hard to live up to, but
astonishingly Pietersen managed it, clubbing two more big hundreds
in his next two Test innings in England.
The second of which - against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston - included a
remarkable reverse-sweep for six off Muttiah Muralitharan.
In Australia the following winter, he once again lived up to his
reputation with hard-earned runs, but his tour ended in
disappointment when he flew home with a fractured rib, courtesy of
Glenn McGrath after the first match of the CB Series.
While England's World Cup was a miserable failure for the team it was
a personal success for Pietersen who hit two centuries - including his
first ODI ton in a winning cause against West Indies - and confirmed
his role as England's leading batsman.
His dominance continued against West Indies with a majestic 226 at
Headingley - finally beating his previous 158, a score he had made
three times previously.
It was the highest score by an England batsman since Graham Gooch's
333, and his march towards greatness continued.
AWARDS:
ICC Emerging Player of the Year 2005
ICC One-Day Player of the Year 2005
Awarded the MBE on 31st December 2005
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2006
THE END