Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen was born on 27th June, 1980, in Pietermaritzberg, Natal, South Africa.
With a South African father and an English mother, Kevin Pietersen played for his home club Natal as a boy and made his first professional cricket debut for their B team in the 1997-1998 season.
Kevin Pietersen continued to play for Natal for the next 2 seasons, however a lack of opportunities in the first team caused him to move to England and he signed a professional contract with Nottinghamshire in 2001.
Kevin Pietersen made a huge impression on the team that year with his big hitting and quality fielding. His impressive right hand batting technique earned him an average of 57.95 in his first season of county cricket.
He made his most impressive show of the season at Derby in July, hitting 218 not out in an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 352 with John Morris. This was after getting a duck in the first innings!
The following year, Kevin Pietersen beat this score at Middlesex with 254 not out.
To play for England Kevin Pietersen had to complete a four-year residency qualification and so in preparation for the first team he went with the England A team to India and in his six innings there he scored three centuries and one half century.
Not surprisingly Pietersen was selected for the full England team as soon as possible and impressed immediately in the ODIs (One Day Internationals) against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
In 2005 after some rumoured 'tension' with his Nottinghamshire team-mates he moved to Hampshire for the start of the new season.
Then the England selectors chose him to be in the 2005 Ashes squad. Pietersen put in an incredible performance - for details read Ben Rosenbaum's analysis: Kevin Pietersen's Ashes.
Wisden named Kevin Pietersen one of the top 5 cricketers in the world in 2005.
Pietersen's form continued and in March 2006 in the second one day international against India his innings of 71 meant that he passed 1,000 career runs in ODIs in just 21st innings, equalling Viv Richards's record.
Kevin Pietersen continued his excellent batting back home. In May 2006 in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka, Pietersen equalled his top score in Test matches of 158.
He matched 158 again in the second Test of the 2006 Ashes when he was brilliantly run out by Ricky Ponting. Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood had a partnership of 310 - the highest fourth-wicket partnership for England against Australia.
Although the 2006 Ashes were disappointing for England, Pietersen was one of their better players.
Misfortune followed when, in a one day game against Australia, Kevin Pietersen suffering a fractured rib and was ruled out of the rest of the one-day series.
Kevin Pietersen fared better in the World Cup and by the end of March 2007, averaging 60.50, Pietersen had become only the third England player to lead the world rankings for one-day batsmen.
Kevin Pietersen's excellent form continued and on 26 May 2007 he hit his first Test double-century, a marvellous 226 off 262 balls.
It was the highest score for England of any batsman since Graham Gooch's 333 against India in 1990.
In September 2007, Kevin Pietersen was the only England player named in the ICC world one-day team of the year and he was nominated for ICC cricketer of the year but lost out to Ricky Ponting.
On August 4, 2008 Kevin Pietersen was appointed captain of both England's Test and one-day sides. He started off his captaincy with an England victory over South Africa in the final Test.
However, on 7 January 2009, the BBC reported that they understood that Kevin Pietersen had left his post as England captain after a public row between him and coach Peter Moores, who left his England coaching position at the same time.
It later emerged that Kevin Pietersen reluctantly resigned as captain of England, but was prepared to stay in the side.
Kevin Pietersen is married to Jessica Taylor.
In February 2009, the BBC reported that Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen had become the most costly cricketers in the Indian Premier League ... picked up for $1.55m (£1.1m) each, Flintoff going to Chennai and Pietersen to Bangalore.
For more information, see Kevin Pietersen's official site.
Kevin Pietersen biography by Ben Rosenbaum
