Five of the best knocks of Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen was a major force to reckon with in the English batting line-up. He was somebody who had an unique style of playing the game and approaching situations. With an innate flair for playing an attacking brand of cricket, he was the ideal batsman for the shorter versions of the game. He was no less a Test batsman, which is testified by the fact that he had 3 double hundreds to his name. He never had any fear for a bowler and could be relied on to go after the bowling attack in any given situation, irrespective of the venues.

Nothing could stop him once he had decided that he would attack. If Pietersen got going, he was a kind of player who could have a definite say in deciding the result of the match. ‘The Switch Hit’ – his creation and contribution to cricket was a spectacle to behold; it took everyone by surprise when he first used it in international cricket. His unorthodox style on the field will always be remembered for times to come.

Here is a compilation of some of the best innings that Pietersen played for England.

5. 73* vs Pakistan (ICC World Twenty20, Barbados, 2010)

Kevin Pietersen 73* vs Pakistan

After taking a brilliant catch running back towards deep midwicket to send back the dangerous Umar Akmal in the first innings, Pietersen was all game when it was England’s turn to chase down a target of 147. Following a brisk start given by the openers Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, Pietersen and Paul Collingwood put on a 60 run-stand to effectively seal the match for England. While Collingwood contributed only 16 in the stand, Pietersen went all out on attack against the Pakistani bowlers. He remained there till the end as England secured a victory by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare, and he was rightfully declared as the Man of the Match.

Having started his scoring with a boundary through covers off Afridi, he never looked back. He slammed Razzaq for two more fours in a single over shortly after he was joined by Collingwood, making it clear that the fall of Kieswetter at the other end least bothered him. He brought up his fifty with a huge heave, which sailed past the bowler’s head, and hit Mohammad Asif for consecutive boundaries in the following over to bring England to within 10 runs of the target. He hit a total of 8 fours and 2 sixes and made things look very easy, giving no chance for the Pakistan bowlers to have any effect on the game.

4. 91* vs Australia (Natwest Series, Bristol, 2005)

Kevin Pietersen 91* vs Australia

This was a thrilling contest. Australia had put up 252 on the board, thanks to Michael Hussey’s 84 with the bat. England did not start well, and both the openers were back in the hut without scoring much. Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff got starts, but they could not convert. When Pietersen walked in, Vaughan, who had got off to a slow start, was at the crease, and England still required 134 from just over 20 overs.

He completely changed the tone of the England innings. It was as if he didn’t watch any batsman play before him, and while everyone before him had got runs at less than a run a ball, he went ahead and scored 91 not out in just 65 balls. He remained not out as England sealed their win with 3 overs remaining. He started slowly though, taking singles first; Michael Kasprowicz was the first bowler he really attacked, hitting him for a four and a six in the 41st over, both through midwicket. Then came Shane Watson, and then Jason Gillespie, all of whom were subjected to pretty much the similar treatment. England cruised to victory by scoring more than 70 runs from overs 40-47, thanks to some hard hitting by Pietersen.

3. 100* vs South Africa (England in South Africa, East London, 2005)

Kevin Pietersen 100* vs South Africa

This was a game both teams could have won, and it went down to the wire all the way. South Africa posted 311, thanks to captain Graeme Smith’s brilliant ton and Justin Kemp’s onslaught towards the end. England had a slow start and could only put up 117/3 in 27 overs; Pietersen walked in with Vaughan at the other end. Vaughan departed some 10 overs later with a slowly made 70, which had just 2 boundaries. England needed more than 130 runs to win with just about 15 overs left, which was around the same time Pietersen started attacking. Even though he was running out of partners at the other end, he continued scoring at a brisk rate.

He hit 7 fours and 4 sixes in the hundred that came off just 69 deliveries, but he could only manage to bring his team within 7 runs of the Proteas’ target. Towards the end, the required rate had climbed to above 10, and even though Giles hit some boundaries, Pietersen still had a daunting task at hand. With just 3 wickets remaining, England needed 50 from 4 overs. Pietersen hit Jacques Kallis for a four and a six in the over that followed, but Kabir Ali at the other end could not come up with the same stuff in the subsequent overs and was dismissed in the 1st ball of the 50th over. England still needed 22 off 5.

Pietersen ran 2 the next ball and hit a four the ball after that. 16 required off the last 3. That is when he only managed a single. It was too late by the time he was given the strike back to face the last ball. Even a six off the last ball could not gift them the 14 runs that were required. England could have easily won had Pietersen got better support at the other end or had they maintained a better scoring rate early on.

2. 226 vs West Indies (Wisden Trophy, Leeds, 2007)

Kevin Pietersen 226 vs West Indies

Vaughan and Pietersen were at it once again; they combined together with the score at 91/2 in the 1st innings. While Vaughan was dismissed for 103 some 50 overs later, Pietersen was there till the end as England put up a mammoth 570 on the board. It is a common feature with most of Pietersen’s knocks. When he gets going, he usually stays there till the end and ends up getting the Man of the Match award. This time it was no different.

West Indies were clueless in their reply as the England pace attack ran through their line-up, allowing them to score just 146 in the first innings and an even lesser 141 the 2nd time they batted while following on. With a winning margin of an innings and 283 runs, it was one of their biggest wins ever.

Pietersen hit as many as 24 boundaries in his 226, but the striking feature of his innings was that it came in just 262 deliveries, A double hundred that fast is sure to effectively take the opposition away from the game, which is exactly what happened with West Indies. Pietersen was a part of a 160-run partnership with Matt Prior for the 6th wicket and an 81-run stand with fast bowler Liam Plunkett. There was no real venom in the West Indian attack, shared majorly by Daren Powell, Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor.

There were extended delays on the 3rd and 4th day of the match due to rain, yet the game yielded a result with one full day of play remaining. It was the heaviest defeat ever for the Windies.

1. 227 vs Australia (Ashes, Adelaide, 2010)

Kevin Pietersen 227 vs Australia

Ashes is always special to watch, and it is all the more important to players who feature in it. So, a double hundred in an Ashes game, which is the reason for a team winning by an innings margin at it’s opponent’s home, has got to be one of the most special innings in a player’s career.

England came up with one of the most brilliant displays of cricket at the Adelaide Oval to go 1-0 up in the Ashes of 2010, which they ultimately went on to win.

After an early scare, Australia put up 245 in the 1st innings. Andrew Strauss’ dismissal in the 2nd over meant England didn’t start great either. Australia were then, however, made to work hard for the wickets. Pietersen and Alastair Cook took the score from 176/2 to 351, before Cook was dismissed by Harris for 148. Pietersen had just completed his own hundred in style and looked good to go on.

He was a part of 100 plus partnerships for the next two wickets with Collingwood and Ian Bell. He reached the double century mark with a single to mid-off and got down on one knee to acknowledge the crowd. His celebrations showed how much it meant to him. He hit a total of 32 boundaries and a six before he got out to Xavier Doherty. He scored most of his runs in the square leg to long on region and had no difficulty in dispatching almost all the bowlers to the boundary.

Australia needed 375 to make England bat again, but they fell a good 71 short. Graeme Swann got a five-for, and even Pietersen joined the party by dismissing the top scorer Michael Clarke for 80. Needless to say, he was again the Man of the Match.