Over the last decade, there have been quite a few cricketers who have become prolific at their craft, yet few have showcased it with the audacity and bravado that England's Kevin Pietersen has managed. The first Ashes Test match at Brisbane is Pietersen's 100th Test Match for England. Fifty-five players and nine Englishmen have previously reached the landmark and so this may not seem like the pinnacle it might have once been, yet anyone who has seen Pietersen's career grow since he debuted during the 2005 home Ashes series can't but not feel happy for him.
Pietersen had shown his class and special talent well before his Test debut. In only his second series in one-day cricket against South Africa in early 2005, he hit three centuries in six innings, including a 69-ball century in the third ODI at East London. That form was soon carried into the ODIs leading up to the Ashes - in one match in particular against Australia at Bristol, he gave a sign of things to come to the Aussies by singlehandedly guiding England to victory with a knock of 91 off 65 balls.
KP's unique and unconventional style of batting hasn't come without its criticism. There would be some who might have been rattled when his Test debut at Lords in 2005 came at the expense of England's most consistent batsmen over the past decade, Graham Thorpe, who subsequently announced his retirement. Yet, as his performance during that series showed, where he scored 473 runs in five matches, Pietersen had it in him to perform at the highest level.
As England went on to win their first Ashes series in more than 18 years, Pietersen played the defining innings. On the final day of the 5th Test, with the match and series in the balance, Pietersen walked out at the Oval and played an innings of rare brilliance, pulling Brett Lee and slog-sweeping Shane Warne into the stands on his way to 158 which helped secure a draw to seal the series win.
While it can be argued that Pietersen has played in a very good team alongside Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, James Anderson and Graeme Swann - all top quality cricketers -, there is little doubt that when it comes down to sheer thrill and excitement none can match him. His performance at the Oval set the tone. In the past eight years, Pieterson has shown himself capable of playing innings which few Englishmen past or present have. As early as 2006, he reverse swept no less a bowler than Muttiah Muralitharan for six during a brilliant knock of 142 against Sri Lanka at Birmingham. India too got a taste of the KP magic last year when on a turning pitch at the Wankhede Stadium he made 186 against a three-pronged Indian spin attack comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.
KP's journey to the top has been far from easy; at 20 he had decided to leave the country of his birth, South Africa, because he believed the quota system which prompted greater representation of coloured players would hamper his cricket opportunities. It took him four years of playing county cricket to qualify for the English team but the wait has been well worth it. With 7,887 runs at an average of nearly 49 and with 23 centuries on the eve of his 100th Test, he is everything that many in England had expected another Southern African import, the Zimbabwe-born Graeme Hick, to be, but wasn't.
KP may divide opinions in his own country but he hasn't been short of popularity in India where he is the brand ambassador of Citizen watches. It is the Indian Premier League though, where he has been most popular. KP's popularity as a cricketer as well as brand can be seen in the salary paid by the teams he has represented; $1.55 million a season by Bangalore in 2009 and 2010 and $2 million a season by Delhi in 2012 - amongst the highest for any cricketer in the league.
Not everyone may like him but it's hard to deny that he is a very good cricketer who has managed to succeed in equal measure in both Test as well as limited-overs cricket. At 33, and with knee injury plaguing him, we don't know how long he has in the game. So, let's treasure him as long as he is there.
The writer is a sports management professional
Pietersen had shown his class and special talent well before his Test debut. In only his second series in one-day cricket against South Africa in early 2005, he hit three centuries in six innings, including a 69-ball century in the third ODI at East London. That form was soon carried into the ODIs leading up to the Ashes - in one match in particular against Australia at Bristol, he gave a sign of things to come to the Aussies by singlehandedly guiding England to victory with a knock of 91 off 65 balls.
KP's unique and unconventional style of batting hasn't come without its criticism. There would be some who might have been rattled when his Test debut at Lords in 2005 came at the expense of England's most consistent batsmen over the past decade, Graham Thorpe, who subsequently announced his retirement. Yet, as his performance during that series showed, where he scored 473 runs in five matches, Pietersen had it in him to perform at the highest level.
As England went on to win their first Ashes series in more than 18 years, Pietersen played the defining innings. On the final day of the 5th Test, with the match and series in the balance, Pietersen walked out at the Oval and played an innings of rare brilliance, pulling Brett Lee and slog-sweeping Shane Warne into the stands on his way to 158 which helped secure a draw to seal the series win.
While it can be argued that Pietersen has played in a very good team alongside Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, James Anderson and Graeme Swann - all top quality cricketers -, there is little doubt that when it comes down to sheer thrill and excitement none can match him. His performance at the Oval set the tone. In the past eight years, Pieterson has shown himself capable of playing innings which few Englishmen past or present have. As early as 2006, he reverse swept no less a bowler than Muttiah Muralitharan for six during a brilliant knock of 142 against Sri Lanka at Birmingham. India too got a taste of the KP magic last year when on a turning pitch at the Wankhede Stadium he made 186 against a three-pronged Indian spin attack comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.
KP's journey to the top has been far from easy; at 20 he had decided to leave the country of his birth, South Africa, because he believed the quota system which prompted greater representation of coloured players would hamper his cricket opportunities. It took him four years of playing county cricket to qualify for the English team but the wait has been well worth it. With 7,887 runs at an average of nearly 49 and with 23 centuries on the eve of his 100th Test, he is everything that many in England had expected another Southern African import, the Zimbabwe-born Graeme Hick, to be, but wasn't.
KP may divide opinions in his own country but he hasn't been short of popularity in India where he is the brand ambassador of Citizen watches. It is the Indian Premier League though, where he has been most popular. KP's popularity as a cricketer as well as brand can be seen in the salary paid by the teams he has represented; $1.55 million a season by Bangalore in 2009 and 2010 and $2 million a season by Delhi in 2012 - amongst the highest for any cricketer in the league.
Not everyone may like him but it's hard to deny that he is a very good cricketer who has managed to succeed in equal measure in both Test as well as limited-overs cricket. At 33, and with knee injury plaguing him, we don't know how long he has in the game. So, let's treasure him as long as he is there.
The writer is a sports management professional
He can be contacted at shakyam@gmail.com