Kevin Pietersen: A batting maverick and master

One of the few to flourish early as the game moved to three international formats, Kevin Pietersen’s achievements have earned him a spot in the ICC Hall of Fame.

“It’s a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame," Kevin Pietersen said on being inducted. "To be recognised in this way and see my name beside so many of the game's greats is truly humbling. It is the highest recognition a cricketer can receive, and I know it will take some time for it to fully sink in.

“I feel privileged to have played across all three formats of the game, and I look back on my career with immense pride and satisfaction. I would like to thank the ICC for this wonderful honour, as well as my family, teammates, coaches and everyone who supported me throughout my journey. This recognition is one I will cherish forever.”

Almost born to dominate in a time that promoted both power and panache with bat in hand, his flair and flamboyance across a decade of international cricket made a lasting impression on the game of cricket.

Rangey, dexterous and expansive as a batter, Pietersen had both the grit and nous to grind in tough patches, but the explosiveness and innovation to accelerate to cater for the fast-moving progress of aggressive batting in the period that he played.

An unapologetic entry and Ashes glory in flamboyant first impression

Having made a name for himself at Nottinghamshire, Pietersen moved south to join Hampshire under the captaincy of Shane Warne, who he’d eventually face in the 2005 Ashes.

Encouraged to attack in First Class cricket, striking at 94 even with an average close to 40, Pietersen was rewarded with a first taste of international cricket in 2004, featuring in white-ball tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, the latter the nation of his birth.

After averaging 104 across three innings in the ODI series in Zimbabwe, he then faced a hostile Protea crowd, even in a warm-up outing against a South Africa A side.

Pietersen performed in spite of the resentment. A score of 97 (84) in that warm-up match set the tone for a strong tour, before an unbeaten 108 from just 96 balls in the second ODI sent South African fans seething in Bloemfontein. A 69-ball century in East London was the fastest century for an England batter, and a knock of 116 after walking out at 32/3 meant he finished with 454 runs and a Player of the Series award, an impressive feat given his side lost 4-1.

Kevin Pietersen scored his maiden international century against South Africa // Getty Images

Injuries threatened to curtail a home summer in England, though he had one opportunity to plant a seed of doubt in Australia’s Ashes campaign in the preceding ODI tri-series.

Chasing 253 and walking at 119/4 in the 28th over, Pietersen watched three partners fall at the other end, and with Jon Lewis walking out at No.9, the right-hander decided he needed to finish the job himself. From going from 18 off his first 30 deliveries, Pietersen finished with 91 not out from 65 balls, proving Australia’s invincibility in the upcoming Test series was no longer.

Handed England Test cap number 626, Pietersen showed calm and class, making 57 after walking out to bat at 18/3 at Lord’s, also making 64 in the second innings and becoming the fourth player to top score in both innings on debut for England.

After defeat at the Home of Cricket, England hit back at Edgbaston, with Pietersen making a vital 71 in an eventual two-run win.

Pietersen’s reputation for standing up in tense moments came to the fore in the deciding fifth Test of the series, pushing Australia out of the match with a day five hundred. His maiden century (158) included seven sixes, and took him to a series-high tally of 473 runs at an average of 52.55. The rewards for his efforts included a Player of the Series medal and a Member of the British Empire, and he was eventually crowned Emerging Cricketer and ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.

He was selected at No.5 in both the 2007 and 2008 ICC Test Teams of the Year, and made the ODI Team of the Year in 2005, 2007 and 2009.

In March 2007, he became just the third England batter to top the ICC One Day International rankings when he reached the summit in March 2007.

A champion player in a T20 World Cup champion team

As the game catered to fit three international formats into the calendar, Pietersen’s skillset proved a point of difference for England.

With his power underpinned by a high grip and leverage through his shots, his aptitude in manipulating opposition fields through sweeps and the innovation of the switch hit made him an asset, particularly in situations demanding quick scoring.

Maintaining his power even after essentially turning into a left-hander, some had even questioned the legality of his batting, not that Pietersen cared too much.

As he continued to perform in red-ball cricket, making five Test hundreds in 2008, his consistency in the new T20I format took England to glory.

Attention turned to the 2010 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies, where his back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan and South Africa in Barbados propelled his side to the top of their Super 8s group.

Even after a return trip to England in the middle of the campaign for the birth of his son, Pietersen continued to shine. He made an unbeaten 42 from 26 balls in the semi-final against Sri Lanka, helping England to their first men’s World Cup Final in either format in 18 years.

In the Final against Australia, Pietersen joined Craig Kieswetter in a stand of 111 on the way to a seven-wicket victory, and his 47 not out from 31 balls cemented his case for Player of the Tournament. 

Fastest to 7000 Test runs in terms of time, and a Test series win in India

Pietersen may have been in the autumn of his career come the early 2010s, though the right-hander ensured his playing career for England would not fizzle out.

He wrote his name on the Lord’s honour board again with a double hundred (202*) against India in July 2011, before another big hundred at The Oval.

On the road, Pietersen compiled Test centuries in 2012 against Sri Lanka and in India, the latter considered one of the greatest innings by a visiting player to the country. 

As the ball turned sideways at the Wankhede Stadium, Pietersen countered, hitting 20 fours and four sixes, putting on 206 with Alastair Cook. The knock helped England secure a 10-wicket win, and their first series win in 27 years.

Kevin Pietersen played an innings of a lifetime against India in Mumbai in 2012 // Getty Images

Back at home in 2013, Pietersen played one of Test cricket's great attacking innings, making an enterprising and unbeaten 149 against South Africa on the third day of the second Test at Headingley. The knock was enough to save the Test match, and he became the quickest player to 7000 Test runs in terms of time in the process.

Pietersen had at one point announced and reversed his international retirement in 2012, and in 2013, he became the highest England run-scorer in all international forms of the game combined.

When he and England eventually parted ways, Pietersen had almost 13,797 international runs to his name. He averaged close to 38 at a strike rate of over 141 in the shortest format, while averaging over 40 in both ODI cricket (40.73) and Test cricket (47.28).

In August 2018, to celebrate England’s 1000th Test match, he was named in the country’s greatest Test XI by the ECB.