10 interesting facts about Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen, who was made the scapegoat by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after their Ashes whitewash in Australia, had many incredible moments in his cricketing days. Here are some interesting facts about the man who turns 34 today. There are many more to him than just his weakness against spin, issues with the ECB and captaincy.Pietersen continued to amass runs for England that saw him end his career as the highest run-scorer for his country, all three formats combined: 13, 779 international runs with 32 hundreds.Pietersen has scored 3 double hundreds, with the last one against India at Lord’s in 2011 being an unbeaten 202. The fascinating stroke-maker scored 533 runs at an average of 106.60 in six innings in the 2011 Pataudi Trophy, and, with England struggling big time now, his presence would be missed in the upcoming home series against India.His 237 at Adelaide in 2010 ended his 20-months long barren run without a 3-figure mark, also helping England win the Ashes Down Under after 24 years.

#1 South African-born England star

Pietersen was born inPietermaritzburg, South Africa, to an African father and an English mother in 1980.

After making his first-class debut in 1997 as a teenager forKwaZulu-Natal, he moved to England in 2000 to join Nottinghamshire,citingracial quota system in South Africa as a hindrance tohis progress as a cricketer.

#2 His kit thown off from the balcony

Recording his maiden first-class hundred on his debut for Nottinghamshire, Pietersen scored 1,275 runs at an average of 57.95 in his first season.

He hit four successive tons the following season within a week’s time, but what followed at Trent Bridge wasn’t something he would relish looking back at the incident now.

After the team was relegated in 2003, Pietersen expressed his frustrations over the standard of the pitches, which led to a strained relationship with his captain Jason Gallion.

Gallion, after a heated argument, threw Pietersen’s kit bag through the dressing room window and damaged his bat, as well.

#3 Great start to international career

After qualifying to represent England by playing county cricket for four seasons since moving to the country, Pietersen was picked for the tour of Zimbabwe, where he scored his first One Day International 50 for England.

Earning himself a spot in the England squad for the tour of South Africa, courtesy Andrew Flintoff’s withdrawal, playing for his adopted country, he tormented his motherland with three-stroke filled centuries and a fifty in a 7-match ODI series averaging a massive 151.33.

#4 Traitor claims

Even before he entered the field for the first ODI against South Africa in 2005, Pietersen had already become a sensation, thanks to the 84-ball 97 in a warm-up match against South Africa A, thereby triggering traitor claims.

"I knew I was going to cop a lot of stick but it will be like water off a duck's back," said Pietersen.

"I expected stick at the start of the innings, and I'm sure it will carry on through the whole series. But I just sat back and laughed at the opposition, with their swearing and 'traitor' remarks ... some of them can hardly speak English.

"I've been in England for four years and I've copped it for being South African - but my affiliation is definitely with England.

"In fact, on the last day of this tour I'm going to get one of (Darren) Gough's tattoos with three lions and my number underneath it. That's not a Christmas present - it's with you for the rest of your life, so no-one can take it away from me and say I'm not English," said the right-hander, who was given a standing ovation after his third ton.

#5 Test debut in Ashes 2005

Pietersen made his Test debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2005, where he made his way into the history books by hitting back-to-back half-centuries: 8th Englishman to hit consecutive fifties in a Test match and 4th debutant to become the highest scorer in both the innings of a Test for England.

He had scores of 57 and 64* in his team’s tally of 155 and 180 in the two innings.

He scored his first Test hundred in the final Test match of the series, where his 158 helped England reclaim the Ashes after having won it previously way back in 1986.

#6 Fastest to reach 1000 ODI runs and 2 ICC awards

In his very first tour to India, after an ordinary Test series, Pietersen emerged as the leading run-scorer despite missing a match and the visitors losing the series 1-5.

During the course of the series, Pietersen equalled West Indian legend Sir Vivian Richards’ record for being the fastest to reach 1000 ODI runs: both took 21 innings.

After a highly successful 2005 season, he was recognized by the ICC in the annual awards ceremony as the ‘Emerging player of the year’ and also the ‘ODI player of the year’.

He is still the only player to bag both these awards in the same year.

#7 Pie-Chucker and Texting Controversy

In the 2008 tour of India, Pietersen, after being dismissed by Yuvraj Singh in the second Test at Mohali, called the left-arm spinner as “pie-chucker”. Yuvraj responded by pointing out that he has fallen for a part-timer five times.

During South Africa’s tour of England in 2012, which the visitors won 2-0, Pietersen was controversially dropped from the team for the final Test after it was found that he had texted AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn degrading his captain Andrew Strauss and team director Andy Flower.

Just when speculations of a possible retirement started surfacing, Pietersen released a video on Youtube apologising for his behaviour. He also confirmed his commitment to the team’s cause.

#8 Captain v Coach

Pietersen became full-time captain of the England side after Michael Vaughan’s retirement. He, however, didn’t last long as a captain, resigning in 2009 after a rift with the national coach Peter Moores, who was sacked, as well.

Pietersen was very vocal against Moores in every aspect of the game including training plans, strategies and team selections, and it created a not-so-good environment in the English camp.

"The team wasn't happy, things weren't right, and England cricket was going nowhere, but I believe in the last six months the team has made big progress before a huge, huge series against Australia. I'm very happy, and everyone's happy,” said Pietersen, six months later.

#9 The switch hit

His second century of the series against Sri Lanka in May 2006 at Birmingham – that also equalled Graham Gooch’s record of successive hundreds in three matches – witnessed the batsman improvise an outrageous shot: the ‘switch hit’.

Since then, few batsmen have learnt the art, with Australian opener David Warner executing it as well as Pietersen himself, but he remains as its master.

"That's ridiculous, absolutely stupid. The reverse-sweep has been part of the game for however long. I am just fortunate that I am able to hit it a bit further.

“Everybody wants brand new ideas, new inventions and new shots. That is a new shot played today and people should be saying it's a new way to go. There are new things happening for cricket at the moment and people shouldn't be criticising it all the time," said Pietersen, after the legality of the shot was questioned.

#10 ICC World T20 2010

Kevin Pietersen became the first England player to win a player-of-the-tournament award in an ICC tournament guiding England to their first ever ICC trophy.

Pietersen scored 248 runs at an average of 62.00 in the Twenty20 tournament.