Kevin Pietersen: England career in pictures
- Published
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South African born with an English mother, Kevin Pietersen serves a four-year qualifying period in county cricket before his one-day call-up in 2004, and is then selected ahead of Graham Thorpe for the first Ashes Test at Lord's in 2005
His maiden Test summer ends in glorious style as he hits seven sixes on his way to 158 at the Oval to secure the draw that sees England regain the Ashes for the first time since 1987
Pietersen is a prominent figure as England celebrate their success with an open-top bus tour and a trip to Downing Street
He is appointed England Test and one-day captain on Michael Vaughan's retirement in 2008, but he and coach Peter Moores rarely see eye to eye
Pietersen captains the side in only three Tests before resigning his post on the same day Moores is sacked in January 2009
Pietersen scores 248 runs at an average of 62 and is named player of the tournament as England win the World T20 in West Indies in 2010, their first major one-day title
Pietersen announces his retirement from international limited-overs cricket in May 2012 - before performing a U-turn in August
The same year, Pietersen is dropped for the third Test against South Africa, the country of his birth, for sending "provocative texts" about team-mates to opposition players
Recalled and "reintegrated" for that winter's tour of India, Pietersen then scores 388 runs during England's 3-0 home win against Australia in 2013, their third Ashes series win in a row
However, his international career comes to an end after the disastrous winter Ashes return where England's 5-0 series whitewash is confirmed in the fifth Test in Sydney - though Pietersen is still the side's leading run-scorer in the series
- Published4 February 2014
- Published4 February 2014