Those England fans who retained faint hopes that Kevin Pietersen may one day return to international cricket will have been saddened by the revelations from his Autobiography. In the book, he criticises coaches and former team mates in such a manner that his England career must surely be at an end.
From a cricketing point of view it’s all very sad particularly when you remember those times when KP just let his bat do the talking. Here are five of his best batting contributions while wearing an England shirt.
1) 158 against Australia at the Oval 2005
England are ready to regain the Ashes when they meet Australia in 2015. KP won’t be there and it’s incredible to think that he first entered the test arena ten years ago to play a full part in one of the most dramatic series ever.
After registering two half centuries in his first game at Lord’s, Pietersen’s 158 at the Oval included seven blistering sixes with paceman Brett Lee and the legendary Shane Warne coming in for some harsh treatment. His brilliant innings saved the test and England won the Urn for the first time in 18 long years.
2) 144 against India in Mohali 2008
It’s perceived that Pietersen has a weakness against spin and while it may be true that he has had some issues with the left arm slow men, some of his greatest efforts have been produced in the most difficult of sub-continental conditions.
In this test, his last as England captain, KP scored more than the rest of his team mates combined in a knock which took up 201 balls and ensured that the tourists had the platform to fight back and secure a battling draw in the second innings.
3) 227 against Australia at Adelaide 2010
England fans will fondly recall Pietersen’s best efforts against the Aussies but none will surpass this effort which will forever remain as the player’s highest ever test score. KP dominated a huge partnership with Alastair Cook and it was somewhat out of character – taking over seven hours to compile.
By KP’s standards it may have been slow but it was certainly another brilliant effort and it inspired England to a large first innings total in a game that they would eventually win before taking the 2010-11 Ashes by a 3-1 margin.
4) 149 against South Africa at Headingley 2012
Regrettably, many remember Kevin Pietersen’s appearance in the Leeds test of 2012 for the press conference that came afterwards. The player threatened to bring down the curtain on a brilliant career and his words led directly to a fall out with Captain Andrew Strauss and a downward spiral that ended with his sacking by the ECB.
Before all that, KP had dismantled the best pace attack in the world, making 149 while his team mates couldn’t come to terms with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at their peak. Pietersen also returned test best bowling figures of 3-52 to claim the Man of the Match award in one of his greatest all round performances.
5) 151 v Sri Lanka at Colombo 2012
Many of KP’s great knocks came as acts of defiance at times when opposition bowlers were dominating the rest of the side. When England came to Colombo in 2012 they had lost four tests in succession but an outstanding 151 at a limited overs pace thwarted the Sri Lankan spinners and set up an unlikely victory.
Sadly, it was one of the last times that Pietersen really contributed on the world stage. Have we really seem the last of this genius as far as international cricket is concerned or could there possibly be a way back into the set up?
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