England debut Pietersen is eligible to play for England as he has an English mother. After a qualifying period of four years playing at English
county level, he was called up almost immediately for his international debut against
Zimbabwe in 2004. The tour of
Zimbabwe caused several players to voice their concerns about the
Robert Mugabe regime, the security issues in the country and the standard of the
Zimbabwean team.
Steve Harmison was the first to boycott the tour for "political and sporting reasons", and all-rounder
Andrew Flintoff was reported to be considering taking a moral stand himself. The England Chairman of Selectors
David Graveney denied that the selectors would leave out players unhappy with touring Zimbabwe and would put their absences down to injury. Flintoff was, however, "rested" and Pietersen rushed into the squad "at the earliest opportunity". In the five match ODI series, Pietersen batted in three innings which included a score of 77 not out; he finished the series with an average of 104.00 as England won the series 4–0.
Success in South Africa Pietersen was upset not to be initially in the squad to tour South Africa. With Flintoff withdrawing due to injury, Pietersen was recalled to the squad, and cemented his place in the first team with 97 off 84 balls in the warm-up match against South Africa A, in the face of a hostile crowd. Throughout the tour, Pietersen was subjected to a barrage of abuse from the South African crowd, who regarded him somewhat like a
traitor. Pietersen scored a 96-ball 108 not out in the
tied second
ODI at
Bloemfontein, after which the crowd turned their backs on him as he returned to the pavilion. This score set his ODI average at an incredible record 234.00. He made 75 at
Cape Town, then at
East London Pietersen made an unbeaten 100 from only 69 balls, the fastest century by an England player in a one-day match, although England still lost by eight runs. In the final game at
Centurion Park, Pietersen came to the wicket at 32/3 and scored 116, but again could not prevent a defeat. Pietersen ended the series, which England lost 4–1, with 454 runs in five innings, and the Player of the Series award. By the end of the series, the South African crowds had generally replaced hostility with respect for Pietersen, his final century being awarded a standing ovation. Despite press speculation, Pietersen was not picked for the
Tests against
Bangladesh—his early season form being dogged by a foot injury—but with his county form improving, he was selected for the
Twenty20 match against
Australia at
Southampton, making 34 from 18 balls and taking three catches as England won by 100 runs. He was awarded 'man of the match'. In the triangular ODI series against Australia and Bangladesh, Pietersen did not get to bat in the first match at
The Oval as England won by 10 wickets, but scored 91 off 65 balls in the match in
Bristol against Australia. In the remainder of the triangular series, Pietersen scored quickly, although without other half-centuries. In the final of the
NatWest Series, he only made 6 as he finished the seven-match series with a total of 278 runs at an average of 46.33. Pietersen's performances sparked speculation over whether he would be brought into the Test team for
The Ashes later in the summer. Later in July, Pietersen played in all three matches of the (ODI) NatWest Challenge against Australia. In the final match he was the top scorer for England with 74 runs; however, he was forced off the field in the third over of Australia's reply with a groin injury.
2005 Ashes triumph in September 2005. Speculation over when Pietersen would play for the Test team was ended in July with the announcement by the England chairman of selectors,
David Graveney, that Pietersen had been selected ahead of
Graham Thorpe. He made his debut in the first Ashes Test at
Lord's, becoming the 626th player to play for the national team. He came into bat at 18–3 and he made 57 on debut in his first innings. In the second innings, he similarly came in after a batting collapse and finished making a second half-century and finished the innings on 64 not out, becoming only the fourth player to top score in both innings on debut for England, the eighth England player to score a half-century in each innings on his debut, and the third cricketer to do so at Lord's. England were thrashed by 239 runs before moving onto Edgbaston where he came in a more comfortable position scoring 71 in the first innings. He had a good partnership with
Andrew Flintoff where the pair put on 103 very quickly. He made 20 in the second innings coming in at 31–4. He was involved in two controversial decisions: he gloved his first ball from
Brett Lee, but the umpire turned down the appeal, and he was later given out to a ball from
Shane Warne that hit his pad then elbow before being caught by
Adam Gilchrist. England won the match by two runs. In the drawn third Test, Pietersen had his first quiet match when he scored 21 in the first innings, getting caught on the boundary. Then, with England looking to push on he was dismissed
lbw by
Glenn McGrath for a
golden duck. In the fourth test, at his former home ground
Trent Bridge, he scored 45 in the first innings after facing 108 balls looking to build a big score. In the second innings chasing 129 to win, he was in at 57–4 when he scored 23 in a decent partnership again with
Flintoff. He was dismissed when he was caught behind wafting at a ball outside off stump. However, England won and went 2–1 up. Under pressure to post a large score in the final Test at
The Oval, Pietersen did not contribute significantly in the first innings; he scored 14 as he was
bowled by
Shane Warne for the first time in his Test career . In the second innings, Pietersen was dropped on 0 by a combination of
Gilchrist and
Hayden, on 15 by his
Hampshire colleague
Shane Warne and after reaching fifty on 60 by
Shaun Tait. He reached his maiden test century with a driven four off the bowling of Tait before making 158, eventually being dismissed by
Glenn McGrath. This innings helped to secure the return of the Ashes to England. His innings included seven sixes, breaking Ian Botham's record for the most sixes by an English player in an Ashes innings. Pietersen was named
Man of the Match for his efforts, and finished the series as top scorer, with 473 runs over the five Tests, an average of 52.55, which also was the highest in the series. However, he had a less successful series in the field, dropping six catches in the five Tests, a point he made wryly when questioned about the Australians dropping him three times on the final day. Pietersen was given an
ECB central contract to reflect his place in the national team.
2005–06 winter tour action in 2006 Pietersen had a less successful time in the three Test matches against
Pakistan, which England lost 2–0. He made little impact in the first and third test. His first Test match innings since his match winning 158 against Australia was brief as he was caught at short leg for 5. In the second innings, he was criticised for his dismissal. Chasing just 198, he was caught behind after a horrible slog on 19 as England went on to lose by 22 runs. In the third test, he made 34 before edging behind in the first innings. With England in difficulty, Pietersen edged
Danish Kaneria to short leg when only on one, as England were to be defeated by an innings. He fared better in the second, however, making his second Test century in the first innings. He brought up his hundred with a six before next ball, he top-edged a pull and was out. In the next innings, with England needing to bat out a draw, England were 20–4 but he made 42 to help England get the draw. He was also performing well in the one-day series with two explosive innings of 56 from 39 balls to help England win the first ODI, and 28 from 27 balls in the second. The quick-scoring innings in the second ODI was to be Pietersen's last on the tour. A rib injury sustained in the first ODI proved too painful throughout the second, and Pietersen returned to England to recover fully for the tour of India. In March 2006, Pietersen played in the three Tests against
India, which England drew 1–1. In the first innings on 15, another rash shot brought his downfall. He pulled a ball from
Sreesanth onto his stumps. His 87 in the second innings of the first match came during England's acceleration period, helping push the required target over 300. England then declared overnight, and India successfully batted out the final day to secure a draw. This half-century was followed by another in the first innings of the second Test. Again, he gave his wicket away on 64 when he offered
Munaf Patel a return catch. The second innings was not so good, facing just 13 balls before being given out
caught behind off a
Harbhajan Singh delivery. The unhappy Pietersen was later fined 30 percent of his match fee for shaking his head and showing signs of dissent. Replays demonstrated that the ball that had dismissed him had brushed his forearm, not his glove, before ballooning up into the hands of
Rahul Dravid at slip. But umpire
Darrell Hair gave him out for 4 as England collapsed on the fourth afternoon. In the one-day series, which England lost 5–1, he was top scorer for England in four out of the five matches he played, and had the highest average of any player with 58.20. His 71 in the second ODI took him past 1,000 ODI runs, equalling
Viv Richards' record of 21 innings to reach this total. In the second test he made 142 at
Edgbaston. He made almost half of England's runs. After he made his hundred, his third six saw the introduction to the
Switch hit, when he turned out and played a switch hit sweep off
Muttiah Muralitharan. This took him past the milestone of 1,000 Test runs, in his 12th Test match, and he became the first batsman since
Graham Gooch in 1990 to score a century in three successive Test innings on English soil. This performance moved Pietersen into the top ten of the
ICC cricket ratings. In the third test, he was twice removed by
Murali. In the first innings, on 41, he top edged a sweep to short fine leg. In the second innings with England chasing 325, he was caught at short leg for just 6. Despite this, his performances in the first two tests earned him the England (Test match) Player of the Series. In the first and second tests of the
Pakistan series, he got starts with the bat but did not get past 50. He was out lbw, offering no shot, in the first innings at
Lords for 21. In the second innings, when England were pushing on, he played some nice strokes in his 41 before being stumped of the bowling of
Shahid Afridi. In the second test, he made 38 when he hit a half-volley loosely to point. In the third Test at
Headingley, he hit 135 runs from England's total of 515. In the final controversial test at
The Oval, on a horribly wet pitch, he got the second golden duck of his Test career when he edged behind. In the second innings, he made 96 before edging behind again before the test came to an unexpected early end. Pietersen bowled his first delivery in Test match cricket on 4 June, against Sri Lanka. His first Test wicket came against
Pakistan later in the summer when
Kamran Akmal got a thin edge through to
Geraint Jones. Later in June, Pietersen scored 17 in the
Twenty20 International as England lost by 2 runs to Sri Lanka. The
twenty over match against Pakistan was no better, Pietersen being
bowled by
Mohammad Asif for a
golden duck as Pakistan helped themselves to a five-wicket victory.
England in Australia, 2006–07 In the much-anticipated Ashes series in Australia, Pietersen was hyped up as England's best player and this was justified as he scored 490 runs in five matches and averaged over fifty, despite Australia's obvious targeting of him. "I was interested to see how he would get on in Australia in 2006–07 on pitches with more bounce", wrote Warne, "because bowlers had tried to test him with the short ball. He was still England's best batsman." He started well, in the First Test. Despite a failure of 16 in the first test, he produced a fine spell of batting with a good 92 in the second innings. This wasn't enough to save England from a 277 run defeat. In the second Test, he backed up his good form with a century in the Second Test in
Adelaide, sharing a 310-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Paul Collingwood. When he was eventually run out, his first reaction was to "giggle" because it was the third time in his Test career that he had scored exactly 158 runs, which was, at that point, his highest Test score. However, he made 2 in a disastrous second innings collapse which cost England dear. In the third test, he was the only batsman to offer any resistance with 70 in the first innings and 60 not out in the second innings in a defeat which cost England the Ashes. However, he couldn't carry on that form as he failed to make a half-century in the final two tests as England lost 5–0. in the
Adelaide Oval nets in November 2006. In the tour's sole Twenty20 match, Pietersen was run out on eleven as England lost by 77 runs. In the first One Day International of the 2006–07
Commonwealth Bank Series, on 12 January at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Pietersen was injured when a ball bowled by
Glenn McGrath hit him on the ribs. Despite continuing his innings in some discomfort, making 82,
X-rays revealed a fracture, and Pietersen was forced to miss the rest of the series.
Career in 2007 2007 World Cup In the
2007 Cricket World Cup, England started in Group C with a game against
New Zealand in which KP made 60 before holing out. He made another 50 against Kenya but disappointedly made just 5 against Canada as England sealed qualification. He made 48 in the unconvincing win against Ireland. Pietersen made 58 against
Sri Lanka before being caught and bowled by
Murali. England lost that game by 2 runs before losing the next game against Australia by 7 wickets. Pietersen crafted 104 runs off 122 balls against Australia. It was the first World Cup century by an Englishman since 1996, and the first ever against Australia. His efforts in the World Cup helped him achieve the status of
International Cricket Council number-one ranked batsman in the world for ODIs. He then failed making 10 against Bangladesh and 3 against South Africa. England lost to South Africa meaning that England did not reach the semi-finals. In England's final match of the World Cup against the
West Indies, Pietersen made 100 from 91 balls, and effected the run-out of retiring captain
Brian Lara. This century took him past 2,000 ODI runs, in doing so equalling the record 51 matches set by
Zaheer Abbas. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo.
West Indies in England In the first test of the series he was dismissed for 26 again chasing a wide one when looking set also after 4 centuries were scored by England batsmen in the innings at
Lord's, he then scored a hundred in the second innings when England were looking to accelerate. Pietersen posted his highest score of 226 in the second Test at
Headingley (it was scored in 262 balls, with 24 fours and 2 sixes), surpassing his previous best of 158 which he had achieved three times. With this score, Pietersen moved ahead of
Everton Weekes and
Viv Richards to be the batsman with the second-highest run-total out of his first 25 Tests (behind
Don Bradman). This innings subjected the West Indies to an innings and 283 runs defeat, their largest against any team. Pietersen, the Man of the Match, said, "I believe the recipe for success is hard work. I've been criticised for throwing my wicket away, and I tried to make it count here". In the third Test at
Old Trafford, he carried on his bad run at the ground being bounced out twice for 9 and 68. In the second innings, Pietersen lost his wicket in a bizarre dismissal when West Indian all-rounder
Dwayne Bravo delivered a
bouncer which knocked Pietersen's helmet off his head and onto his stumps. He is only the fourth batsman in Test cricket to be dismissed "
hit wicket" as a result of headgear falling onto the stumps. This score took him past the 8,500 first-class runs mark, and 2,500 runs in Test cricket. In the final match of the series, he registered his third duck of his Test career in the first innings and 28 in the second innings as England won the series 3–0. In contrast, Pietersen's batting was poor in the following single innings matches; he scored a total of 77 runs in five matches (two Twenty20 and three ODI), recording a second-ball duck in the final ODI. He subsequently fell to second in the official One Day International batting rankings, behind
Ricky Ponting. Pietersen himself commented that his lack of form was a result of "fatigue", and reiterated his calls for a less "hectic" match schedule.
India tour and Twenty20 Championship Pietersen played in the first Test against
India and in the first innings, he made 37 but not without controversy. He edged the ball behind of
Zaheer Khan to Dhoni. He walked, but after seeing replays on the screen, he walked back to the middle and the decision was overturned. Ironically, he was out shortly afterwards caught Dhoni, bowled Khan. In the second innings he was top scorer with a knock of 134 to set up a potential England victory. Pietersen described this as his best century, in very testing conditions. In the second test, he was twice lbw to
RP Singh for 13 and 19 in a defeat which subsequently cost them the series. After making 41 in the first innings, Pietersen scored his 10th Test century in the third and final Test at the Oval, helping England to draw the game with 101. In the one-day series that followed, he struggled at the start with a top score of 33 not out in the first five matches of the series. He scored two half-centuries in the final matches including 71 not out in the final match at Lord's, hitting the winning runs to give England the series. Pietersen was also picked for and played in the Twenty20 Championship in South Africa. In England's first game against Zimbabwe on 13 September, Pietersen hit 79 runs off 37 balls, his highest Twenty20 score, including seven fours and four sixes (one of them being another switch-hit sweep for six) in an English total of 188–9. England won the match by 50 runs; however, this was to be Pietersen's largest contribution in the competition. He scored another 99 runs over four more matches, ending the series with an average of 35.60. He also scored the most England fours (17) and jointly held the record for the most England sixes (6) with
Owais Shah. He also held the highest strike rate of any England batsman.
Sri Lanka 2007 Pietersen scored 50 in England's opening game in Sri Lanka against the Sri Lankan Cricket XI, but it took until the fourth ODI for Pietersen to find form, scoring 63 not out as England won their first series in Sri Lanka. This form was still fluctuating in the warm-up matches for the Test series, scoring 4, 1 and 59 against the Sri Lankan Cricket XI. This run continued in the Test matches when in the first test he got two starts with 31 and 18 but didn't go on. He was unfortunate as in the second innings on 18 he was bowled by a ball that kept low from
Dilhara Fernando. In the second test he managed 45 not out to secure a draw in the 2nd Test. In the first innings, Pietersen's dismissal was to be the source of much controversy. He edged his fifth ball to
Chamara Silva at slip, who flicked the ball up for wicketkeeper
Kumar Sangakkara to complete the catch. The two on-field umpires conferred over the validity of the catch, as it was unclear whether the ball had touched the ground
prior to Silva flicking the ball up.
Daryl Harper, standing at the bowler's end gave the decision that the wicket had been taken, but while walking off the field, Pietersen saw a replay on the big screen and questioned the validity of the decision. This led for calls for similar catches to be referred to the third (TV) umpire, but this can only take place if the on-field umpires have not made a decision. Pietersen passed 3,000 Test runs during the series, becoming the fastest player (by time) to do so, though he only averaged 25.20, and failed to score a half century in a series for the first time.
Career in 2008 New Zealand tours (home and away) On England's tour against
New Zealand, Pietersen averaged 33.00 in the ODI series, with one score of 50 in the tied fourth match; England lost the series 3–1. He also made a top score of 43 in the first of two comfortable
Twenty20 matches. Pietersen had a quiet first two Test matches, making little impression with the bat. He produced 42 and 6 as England collapsed in their second innings. In the next test, he fared little better making 31 and 17. However, in the first innings of the
Napier Test he rescued England from a disastrous start of 4–3, guiding them to 259 with 129, his 11th Test century. New Zealand then came to tour England and Pietersen again struggled in the first two Test matches, scoring 3 in the first match. He improved slightly in the second but only making 26 in the first innings and then running himself out on 42 having looked well set. He seemed to be struggling particularly against
Daniel Vettori but he showed no signs of that as he struck a century in the third Test, forming a valuable partnership with
Tim Ambrose, making a crucial 115. Pietersen hit a winning 42 not out in the Twenty20 match.
Switch-hit In the first ODI of the NatWest series, Pietersen hit two sixes by "switch-hitting" en route to 110 not out. While facing the bowling of medium pace
Scott Styris, Pietersen turned his body around and switched hands (effectively batting as a left-hander) hitting two sixes over
cover and long off. Because Pietersen not only reversed his hand position (as some batsman do while playing the
reverse sweep), but changed his stance by rotating his body, these "switch-hit" shots were immediately followed by calls to outlaw them from the game. Although a similar shot was played when Pietersen reverse-swept
Muttiah Muralitharan for six in Sri Lanka in 2006, in this case he switched hands and executed "the switch" before the ball was bowled. Several commentators complained that because Pietersen changed from being a right-handed to a left-handed batsman as the bowler approached his delivery stride, he was gaining an unfair advantage.
Gideon Haigh said that "A bowler must advise a batsman when he's changing direction, why should the batsmen not; given that where the bowler's aiming will depend on the placement of the off stump".
Ian Healy seconded this by saying "It just should be outlawed straightaway. If you want to hit to one team of the field, you've got to do it in a cross fashion, and not swap the way you're facing or your grip. Otherwise you are going to start to allow the bowlers to go round the wicket, over the wicket, and keep swapping during their run-ups." Former fast-bowler
Michael Holding argued "if the batsman can change from being right-handed to left-handed, there shouldn't be a problem with a bowler changing from being right-handed to left-handed, either, without having to tell the umpire, nor should he have to tell the umpire if he is going over or round the wicket." Pietersen countered these claims by saying: "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." Another citation for the shot being outlawed was that the possibility of being out LBW ("a player is out LBW if...the ball pitches in line between wicket and wicket or on the off side of the striker's wicket") is removed, as the off side become the leg side and vice versa. The shots were considered by the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), governors of the game, who came to the conclusion that the shot was legal, believing that the LBW law (which continues "The off side of the striker's wicket shall be determined by the striker's stance at the moment the ball comes into play for that delivery") adequately covers the scenario. They cited the variations bowlers can make, such as bowling a googly or a slower ball, and also the inherent risk in the shot to the batsman, in the justification of their decision. There are still calls for further review of the stroke, with
Jonathan Agnew giving a scenario in which a right-handed batsman can take his stance as a left-hander, then switch stance as the bowler runs in, thus being able to kick away any balls that land outside his now off stump. He also calls for the wide law to be adjusted in one-day cricket, as bowlers are penalised for most deliveries that pass down the leg side.
England captaincy Success against South Africa Pietersen captained England in the fifth ODI against New Zealand after
Paul Collingwood was banned for four games for a slow over-rate during the previous match. Pietersen was named as the stand-in captain for three further matches in August. in August 2008 With
Michael Vaughan as captain for the first three tests, Pietersen seemed to thrive in his first Test series against his former countrymen scoring 152 in the opening match of the series. During the third Test against South Africa, Pietersen was criticised for throwing his wicket away attempting a six to complete a century when on 94.
Jonathan Agnew and
Alec Stewart called the stroke "irresponsible" and Agnew continued, suggesting that Pietersen therefore ruled himself out of the potential reckoning for the England captaincy with
Vaughan's place in the starting line-up in doubt after failing to score runs. In the event, having lost the match, Vaughan resigned and Pietersen was made the permanent captain of both the Test and ODI teams (
Paul Collingwood relinquished the ODI captaincy at the same time).
Derailment in India Pietersen continued to lead the team during a 5–0 defeat to India in ODI matches; the series was supposed to consist of seven matches, but was abandoned after the fifth due to the
2008 Mumbai attacks. Pietersen however had a decent series with the bat hitting a quick 63 in the first match and 111 not out in the fifth match. Pietersen's men returned to England before resuming the tour amid unprecedented security, to play a two-Test series. Pietersen was highly vocal in regards to the resumption of the tour, citing a need to stand up to terrorism. He had an aggregate of 5 runs in 2 innings in the first test being dismissed by
Yuvraj Singh in the second innings which showed Pietersen's struggles against Yuvraj from the ODI series carried on. England were defeated in the first, but recovered to draw the second with Pietersen scoring 144. In January 2009, following England's losses in India, the media reported that Pietersen had asked the
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to hold emergency meetings to discuss Moores' coaching role with the team. Days later, Pietersen made remarks to the media about there being an 'unhealthy situation' that needed to be resolved in the England camp. The media speculated that Moores would shortly be replaced if there was a Pietersen–Moores rift. Moores and Pietersen were believed to be in disagreement on several issues, including the team's training regimen, and the possible selection of former England captain
Michael Vaughan for the upcoming
tour of the West Indies. In the immediate aftermath of Pietersen's resignation, several commentators connected with English cricket indicated that they believed that Pietersen had miscalculated by openly advocating for the removal of Moores, particularly in making their dispute public. In an interview several days after his resignation, Pietersen revealed that he had not intended to resign as captain, but was told by ECB officials that he was resigning.
Dennis Amiss, the vice-chairman of the ECB, went on record backing up Pietersen in his statement that the story of the rift with Moores had not been leaked to the media by him, saying, "We don't believe Kevin Pietersen leaked the information, we understand his frustration at it being leaked by other parties." Pietersen was captain for three Test matches, and 10 One Day International matches. It was announced that
Andrew Strauss would take over the captaincy. The following month RCB owner
Vijay Mallya announced that Pietersen would succeed
Rahul Dravid as captain. He won two out of his six matches in charge before leaving to fulfil his international commitments with England;
Anil Kumble took over the captaincy and led the Bangalore team to the IPL final. He was dismissed first ball in the first Test against the touring West Indies team dismissed by the full, swinging ball (a delivery which he seemed to struggle against), but in the second Test made a quick 49 before falling to an attacking shot. He then suffered what seemed only a minor right Achilles injury and was subsequently ruled out of the ODI series, which England also won. In June 2009, Pietersen played in England's World Twenty20 warm-up match against
Scotland, registering an unbeaten 53 in a six-wicket England victory. He also appeared in the news after accidentally hitting a
15-year-old school boy with a cricket ball from a straight-drive after the boy had bowled to him. Pietersen left the boy, from
Suffolk, with a signed bat as compensation. Pietersen's Achilles injury began flared up ahead of England's first Twenty20 match, against the
Netherlands not long after. In Pietersen's absence, England incurred a historic loss against the Dutch. He returned for the second match against Pakistan and top scored with 58 off 38 balls and hit 3 sixes (one of which was measured at over 100m) in the 48 run victory, he also top scored in the three run win over India later in the competition. Despite missing the first match Pietersen ended the tournament as England's leading runscorer with 154 at an average of 38.50. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo for the 2009 T20I World Cup.
2009 Ashes Pietersen joined the England Ashes squad in June 2009 for the upcoming
2009 Ashes series. Despite failing to surpass single figure scores during a warm-up match against Warwickshire, he helped England to a score over 400 on 8 July during the first day of the first Test at the
SWALEC Stadium,
Cardiff with 69 before being dismissed by
Nathan Hauritz, top-edging a sweep to a ball outside off stump; the dismissal was heavily criticised. He also seemed to flare up his Achilles injury again suddenly which hampered his batting a bit. In the second innings he was bowled for 8 after leaving a straight ball from
Ben Hilfenhaus. Many pundits thought the criticism of England's key batsman from the first innings possibly affected him. In the first innings at Lords, after proving his fitness, he came at 222–2 and played some trademark shots before being caught behind off
Peter Siddle. In the second innings he came in when England had a lead of almost 300 and he and
Ravi Bopara batted for time. Pietersen limped when he ran and many shots ran off the inside edge which raised serious doubts for the rest of the series. He actually did well to reach 44 before being caught behind off Siddle again. After struggling in the field as England won, Pietersen was ruled out of the rest of the series with an Achilles injury. This brought to an end 54 consecutive Test matches. As his recovery slowed, Pietersen was not included in the
2009 ICC Champions Trophy and Andy Flower speculated that due to an infection of the wound Pietersen "may miss this winter's tour of South Africa because of slow progress in recovery from surgery."
Career in 2010 Pietersen returned from injury in time to play a part in the
2009–10 winter tour of South Africa. His contributions, nevertheless, were significantly below his pre-injury range with an average of just 27. He showed several lapses of concentration, leading some to suggest that off-field distractions and lingering issues with his removal from the captaincy were still affecting his form. Pietersen went into the
two-match tour of Bangladesh on the back of poor performances on his return from injury and led to speculation Pietersen's England place was under pressure. However, an important first innings of 99 in the first Test and a series clinching score of 74 not out in the second, during a stand of 167 not out with
Alastair Cook, saw Pietersen return to much more respectable figures. England won the series 2–0 and Pietersen finished with total runs of 250 and an average for the series of 83.33. Pietersen joined up with his
Royal Challengers Bangalore team following the conclusion to
England's tour of Bangladesh. Pietersen showed further signs of a return to form in the
IPL by scoring 236 runs with a high score of 66
*, with an average of 59.00, which was the highest in the IPL.
2010 ICC World Twenty20 Pietersen was selected in England's 15-man squad for the
2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the
West Indies. Pietersen's tournament got off to a poor start as he made was dismissed for
duck by
Rory Kleinveldt in a warm up match. In England's first match against the
West Indies, Pietersen started confidently scoring 24 from 20 balls before being dismissed on the
pull by
Darren Sammy. Against
Ireland, he struggled to get going, scoring a slow 9 from 18 balls. In England's super eights match against
Pakistan he scored 73
* from 52 balls, guiding England to a 6 wicket win. In the following super eights match against
South Africa, Pietersen scored an aggressive 53 runs from 33 balls, contributing to a 94 run partnership with
Craig Kieswetter and a 39 run victory for England. For his performance, he was named man of the match. Following the conclusion of this match, Pietersen returned home to England to be present at the birth of his son. Pietersen returned in time for England's semi-final against
Sri Lanka, where he scored a vital 42* from 26 balls, guiding England home to a 7 wicket victory and a place in their first ICC tournament final since the
2004 ICC Champions Trophy. In the final against old foes
Australia, he scored 47 runs from 31 balls, which included 4 fours and 1 six. Pietersen shared in a vital stand of 111 with Kieswetter, before holing out to
David Warner off the bowling of
Steve Smith. Pietersen's knock was vital in helping England secure a 7 wicket victory and their first ever major ICC tournament victory. After the match Pietersen was named man of the series for his vital contributions with the bat, which ended with Pietersen being the second highest run scorer with 248 runs at an average of 62.00 and a strike rate of 137.77.
Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan Pietersen played in the Bangladesh home series, however contributed only 18 in the first innings before assisting England in chasing down a modest total with 10*. He made 64 in the second Test, however. After the Test series, attention was drawn to Pietersen's lack of games for Hampshire – having not played a County Championship at the Rose Bowl since 2005. Having made one Twenty20 appearance for them against
Surrey after the Bangladesh Test series, it was announced that he would be leaving Hampshire, stating that "Geographically it just doesn't work. I live in Chelsea." On 22 June, Pietersen played his 100th ODI against Australia at his home ground,
the Rose Bowl. July 2010 Pietersen struggled for form in an
ODI series against Australia and then a
Test series against Pakistan. England beat Australia 3–2, but Pietersen could only manage a top-score of 33. England beat Pakistan 3–1, and although Pietersen top-scored for England with 80 in the second Test, it was the only time he passed 50 and ended the series with a golden duck. His poor form, and an admission by Pietersen before the final Test that he was low on confidence, led to many in the media, including
Geoffrey Boycott, to suggest that Pietersen could do with playing County Cricket to regain his form before the
2010–11 Ashes series. Pietersen was omitted from both of England's limited-overs squads to face Pakistan. However, the ECB brokered a loan move to
Surrey for the remainder of the
2010 English cricket season which enables him to play first-class cricket whilst the England team plays Pakistan in the limited overs leg of the tour. Pietersen announced the omission and loan-move to Surrey early through a Twitter message, which contained a swear-word and was quickly removed, and he apologised the following day. The online outburst drew some criticism of him, with national selector
Geoff Miller one of those criticising the message. During the lead up to the 2010/11 Ashes Series Pietersen signed up for two first-class games in the South African competition with the KwaZulu Natal Dolphins.
The Ashes in Australia Pietersen went into the
2010–11 Ashes series without a century since March 2009, and many felt that England would be unable to retain the Ashes unless he found form. In the first Test at
the Gabba,
Brisbane, Pietersen hit 43 in the first innings but wasn't required in the second as England posted 517–1 declared before a draw was declared. In the second Test in
Adelaide, where he hit 158 on the previous Ashes tour, Pietersen joined opener
Alastair Cook (148) to make a century partnership before going on to score his 17th Test century. He finished with 227, a Test-best and his second Test double-century, as England declared on 620–5. Given a rare bowl at the end of the fourth day, Pietersen claimed the wicket of
Michael Clarke (80) to leave Australia 238–4. England then proceeded to bowl Australia out in the final morning to win by an innings and 71 runs, and Pietersen was named man-of-the-match.
2011 ODI series against Australia In the ODI series that followed the Ashes Test Series Pietersen's performance was solid in the first ODI at the MCG. His team high score of 78 helping England to post a traditionally competitive near 300 score. England were however defeated by the chasing Australians after
Shane Watson's monumental 161 not out. After making a first ball duck in the second ODI at Hobart Pietersen's fitness once again became an issue and he missed the third ODI due to a "groin strain". The fourth ODI, despite Pietersen making only 12 with the bat, was won by England. On 29 January Kevin announced to the media that England could make a miraculous comeback to win the series from 3–1 down. In the three remaining matches (all England defeats) Pietersen scored 40, 29 and 26 respectively. Australia won the seven match ODI series 6–1.
Career in 2011 Pietersen was part of England's 15-man squad for the
2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka between February and March. In the warm-up matches he was asked to open the batting in anticipation that he would assume the position for the whole tournament. He had opened the batting just six times in one-day games and never for England, although had done so for England A in 2004. Pietersen returned home early due to injury. A
hernia required immediate surgery and the recovery time of around six weeks meant he would miss the rest of the tournament and potentially the IPL. Eoin Morgan took Pietersen's place in the squad. Pietersen earned some criticism after being sighted at a nightclub in London while injured, however he dismissed the criticism as unwarranted. He returned from injury for the home series against Sri Lanka in May 2011. The feat took exactly six years, which is the fastest in terms of time taken, and 128 innings. In the fourth Test he scored 175 runs and shared a partnership of 350 runs with Ian Bell. Pietersen was rested for the ODI series against that followed the Tests.
Career in 2012 Sri Lanka and the IPL Pietersen played a pivotal role in England's tour of Sri Lanka. By scoring a century in the second of two Tests, not only did he move to 20 centuries for England, but he levelled the series at 1–1, ensuring England retain their No.1 Test Ranking status. On 10 April, Pietersen started his first match in the
2012 Indian Premier League for his new team, the
Delhi Daredevils. He scored his maiden century in that format during the tournament. In May 2012, Pietersen was fined for a Twitter outburst against ex-England opener,
Nick Knight. He commented "Can somebody please tell me how Knight has worked his way into the commentary box for Tests? Ridiculous" and despite attempts by Cook to "downplay" the incident, the ECB elected to uphold the fine. It was Pietersen's second controversial use of the social media system following the incident in September 2010 where he announced his own dropping from the one-day team, for which he was also fined.
Retirement from ODI and T20 On 31 May 2012, Pietersen announced his retirement from one-day international cricket. Although he intended to still play Twenty20s for England, and especially the
World Twenty20 tournament in September 2012, the terms of his central contract meant that he had to retire from both forms. Remaining available for Test cricket only, Pietersen said that "with the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the World Cup in 2015." This announcement came on the back of his 80 against the
West Indies at Trent Bridge as England took an unassailable 2–0 lead in the three-Test series. However, on 9 July 2012, Pietersen reversed his decision and suggested that he may return to ODIs in the future.
South Africa in the summer of 2012 After the second Test against
South Africa during the latter's tour of England in the summer of 2012, in which Pietersen scored his 21st Test century (149) and took Test-best bowling figures (3–52), Pietersen suggested that the third and final Test of that series might be his last. In the same press conference, he also mentioned issues within the dressing room that needed to be resolved. In the following days, allegations were made that he sent defamatory text messages to members of the South African dressing room, with Strauss and Flower said to be referred to within the messages. Following talks with the ECB, however, Pietersen then unreservedly committed his future to all forms of cricket for England in a video interview posted on YouTube. He was dropped for the third Test after failing to provide clarification about those messages, despite announcement of the squad being delayed to provide more time for him to do so. He was replaced by
Jonny Bairstow. He toured India with a successful England team under Cook, scoring 338 runs in four Tests including a century and two fifties. The century, in the second of four Tests, took Pietersen to 22 Test hundreds, level with the England record. That century was named as third best Test innings of the decade by Wisden in 2019. Cook broke the record by scoring his twenty-third hundred during the same series. Pietersen also featured in the tour's ODI series, scoring 185 runs across a five-match series that ended in an English defeat.
Career in 2013–14 Pietersen featured in the three-Test series in New Zealand in February 2013, scoring 73 in the second match. A knee injury forced him to miss the return home series in May that year, however, and prompted fears over fitness for the upcoming
2013 Ashes series. Though he did not play against New Zealand, the ECB remained hopeful over his ability to play against Australia come the summer. On 3 August 2013, Pietersen not only scored a century in the third
Ashes series match in the first innings, he became the highest run scorer for England across all forms of cricket combined. His
return Ashes tour over the winter of 2013–14 was less successful, however. In a series which England lost 5–0, Pietersen averaged only 29 and passed fifty only twice in ten innings. He made his
100th Test appearance in the first Test. During this game Pietersen was dismissed by a widely reported catch taken by
Chris Sabburg, who entered the field as a
substitute fielder. He remained nevertheless England's leading run scorer with 294 runs. He also bowled during the fifth and final Test. Once the tour had ended, and the fallout had contributed to the removal of Flower as head coach, there was much media speculation on the nature of Pietersen's relationship with the team management. The ECB met and announced on 4 February 2014 that Pietersen had not been selected for the
upcoming tour of the Caribbean, a decision they described as "unanimous". Media announcements immediately began stating that Pietersen's career was over. Pietersen himself released a statement which read "Although I am obviously very sad the incredible journey has come to an end, I'm also hugely proud of what we, as a team, have achieved over the past nine years." ==Post-playing career and image==