Kevin Pietersen

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Matches

277

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There have been a few players in the history of cricket who grew larger than than the game itself. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was one of those larger-than-life characters who, with their swagger and scintillating play, made it all about themselves on and off the field. Born in South Africa, Pietersen joined Nottinghamshire after being disillusioned with South African cricket in 2000. He made his debut for England against Zimbabwe in an ODI in 2004. It is only poetic and adds to the Pietersen lore that his second ODI tour was to South Africa. In a hostile environment where he was abused, Pietersen rose to the top, scoring 454 runs at an average of 151.33 in the ODI series. In the 2005 Ashes, with his skunk hairdo and devil-may-care attitude, Pietersen became one of the protagonists of what was a historic series victory. Pietersen's on-field heroics always went hand-in-hand with his off-field issues with the English authorities. In 2008, he became captain of the team, but that did not last long. In 2014, he was unceremoniously dropped from the team, and that was the end of a career that never failed to entertain, on and off the field.