Kevin Pietersen      

Full name Kevin Peter Pietersen

Born June 27, 1980, Pietermaritzburg, Natal

Current age 29 years 133 days

Major teams England, Hampshire, ICC World XI, KwaZulu-Natal, Natal, Nottinghamshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Nickname KP, Kelves, Kapes, Kev

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm offbreak

Height 6 ft 4 in

Education Maritzburg College, University of SA

Kevin Pietersen's career has verged on the extraordinary at every turn. From shunning the South African quota system, to returning to his homeland with three ODI centuries and securing the Ashes with his maiden Test ton. All that came within his first year as an England player, but that was just the start. He quickly became the team's best batsman, and a leading light in world cricket, consistently dominating attacks. His transition from interloper to full Englishmen appeared to be complete when he accepted the England captaincy following Michael Vaughan's resignation and began with a string of wins against South Africa. But his reign lasted barely five months and early in 2009 he resigned after a very public row over the suitability of Peter Moores as coach. People came to expect the mind-boggling from KP, but this caught everyone off guard.

After a quiet debut against Zimbabwe he was thrown in during the one-dayers against South Africa in 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 fervour and afterwards announced his next ambition: getting a tattoo of three lions and his England number. By the end of the series a crowd which had turned their backs on Pietersen stood and applauded him.

Overlooked for two Tests against Bangladesh, he made his Test 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.

A hallmark of Pietersen's batting is the complete confidence he has in his own ability, best emphasised by a remarkable reverse-sweep for six off Muttiah Muralitharan at Edgbaston, which in the following years would develop into the switch-hit that would become the batsman's latest attacking option. He didn't feel any bowler could tie him down, and largely his results supported that bold statement.

England's 5-0 Ashes whitewash and subsequent World Cup failing hurt Pietersen as much as anyone although yet more centuries confirmed his advance towards the highest echelon of world batting. 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.

When a dip in 2007-08 threatened to turn into a trough he bounced back with vital centuries, including a backs-to-the-wall 129 in Napier after England had been reduced to 4 for 3, and another at Trent Bridge the following summer. Those, though, were just the prelude to the innings that he had most craved - a hundred at Lord's in his first Test appearance against his native South Africa, a performance which quashed once and for all the lingering doubts about his switch of allegiance. After a rapturous reception from the Lord's crowd, he later declared he had never felt "so loved".

Just a few weeks later and he had completed his extraordinary journey from naturalised Englishman to England's captain when he took over from Vaughan who announced his retirement just after the third Test against South Africa. As he prepared to lead them in all three forms of the game, Pietersen declared: "I'm going to do it my way," and from the very start he was true to his word: a century and a victory in his maiden Test in charge at The Oval, followed by a thumping 4-0 victory in the subsequent ODI series. His standing rose, too, with his handling of the Mumbai terror attacks, but while his tenure was never going to be dull, few expected it to be so short and dramatic. After criticising Moores following a tough tour of India, forcing the ECB to call an emergency meeting, he resigned from his post, leaving English cricket in crisis.

Pietersen, though, came back strongly with a 97 in his first innings under new captain Andrew Strauss in the West Indies, and his status as one of the game's biggest players was confirmed with a US$1.55 million annual IPL contract, the most expensive along with team-mate Andrew Flintoff. But his initial foray with the Royal Challengers Bangalore was a disappointment, and a long-standing Achilles injury undermined his effectiveness. After grimacing his way through the early part of the summer, Pietersen took the plunge and underwent surgery only hours after England's victory over Australia in the second Ashes Test at Lord's. His rehabiliation kept him sidelined for the rest of the summer
Cricinfo staff October 2009

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

Photos +

Download specially designed wallpapers and screensavers. Also view an exclusive gallery

Download: Gallery | Wallpapers

Sep 13, 2009

Kevin Pietersen catches the action at the Italian Grand Prix

© Getty Images

Sep 13, 2009

Kevin Pietersen poses at the Force India garage at the Italian Grand Prix

© Getty Images

Jul 30, 2009

The injured Kevin Pietersen managed to dodge the rain at Edgbaston

© PA Sport

View the full index of related photos »