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KEVIN PIETERSEN England Team Player

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DETAILS: Full name - Kevin Peter Pietersen

Born - June 27, 1980, Pietermaritzburg, NatalCurrent age - 27 years 213 daysMajor teams - England, Hampshire, ICC World XI, KwaZulu-Natal, Natal, NottinghamshireNickname - KP, Kelves, KapesBatting style - Right-hand batBowling style - Right-arm off breakHeight - 6 ft 4 inEducation - Maritzburg College, University of SA

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PROFILE:Expansive with the bat and explosive with the bombast, the SouthAfrican-born Kevin Pietersen is not one for the quiet life.

Pietersen, an enthusiastic, bold-minded and big-hitting No 5, firstruffled feathers by shunning South Africa - he was disenchanted withthe quota system - in favour of England; his eligibility comingcourtesy of an English mother.

He never doubted he would play for England: he has self-confidence inspades but, fortunately, he has sackfuls of talent too.

Sure enough, as soon as he qualified in September 2004.He was invited to tour Zimbabwe for that winter's one-dayers, wherehe averaged 104 in three innings.

Success here earned him a late call into England's team against noneother than South Africa in early 2005.

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Undeterred by hostile receptions from the home crowds, heannounced his arrival - loudly, of course - with three centuries infive innings, and in doing so demonstrated his peerless eye for theball and for making headlines, too.

On reaching his maiden ton in the second ODI at Bloemfontein, hekissed his badge with unreserved fervor and afterwards announcedhis next ambition: getting a tattoo of three lions and his Englandnumber.

Playing at Test level was next on the Pietersen to-do list, and, as aman who puts his money, if not always his mind, where his mouthis, it was only a matter of time.

Overlooked for two Tests against Bangladesh, he made his debutagainst Australia at Lord's of all places, and responded with a pairof hard-hitting fifties in a losing cause.

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Six dropped catches in the series appeared to have dented hisbrash confidence, but with the series at stake.

He once again showed his unswerving eye for the limelight byclubbing a phenomenal 158 on the final day at The Oval, to securethe draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18years.

First to congratulate him on his feat was Shane Warne, his good

friend and captain at Hampshire, whom Pietersen had joined atthe start of the season after three eventful and fractious years atNottinghamshire.

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Unsurprisingly, that innings proved hard to live up to, butastonishingly Pietersen managed it, clubbing two more big hundredsin his next two Test innings in England.

The second of which - against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston - included aremarkable reverse-sweep for six off Muttiah Muralitharan.

In Australia the following winter, he once again lived up to hisreputation with hard-earned runs, but his tour ended indisappointment when he flew home with a fractured rib, courtesy of Glenn McGrath after the first match of the CB Series.

While England's World Cup was a miserable failure for the team it wasa personal success for Pietersen who hit two centuries - including hisfirst ODI ton in a winning cause against West Indies - and confirmedhis role as England's leading batsman.

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His dominance continued against West Indies with a majestic 226 atHeadingley - finally beating his previous 158, a score he had madethree times previously.

It was the highest score by an England batsman since Graham Gooch's333, and his march towards greatness continued.

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AWARDS:

ICC Emerging Player of the Year 2005ICC One-Day Player of the Year 2005Awarded the MBE on 31st December 2005

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2006

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