Pieterson, Kevin Peter (1980– )

English cricketer. He is a right-handed, middle-order batsman, known for his flamboyant, attacking, and hard-hitting style. Born in South Africa to an English mother and Afrikaner father, he made his first-class debut for Natal in 1997 before moving to England in protest at the South African selection policy. After a four-year qualifying period, he made his One-day international debut for England in 2004 and his Test debut the following year against Australia. His 158 runs on the final day of the Oval Test secured the draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18 years. His innings included seven sixes, a record for an English player in an Ashes innings, and saw him finish the series as top scorer of either side.

Career highlights

Test cricket (2005– ) appearances: 40; runs: 3,621; average: 51.00; not out: 3; 100s: 13; best: 226 (v. West Indies 2007); catches: 28

One-day internationals (2004– ) appearances: 76; runs: 2,687; average: 47.14; not out: 13; 100s: 6; best: 116 (v. South Africa 2005); catches: 31

All first-class cricket (1997– ) appearances: 124; runs: 9,903; average: 51.57; not out: 15; 100s: 35; best: 254 not out (v. Middlesex 2002); catches: 108

Awards

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2006

He was the fastest player to reach 1,000 and 2,000 runs in One-day internationals and in 2005 he scored a century against South Africa in just 69 balls, the quickest ever by an Englishman. He was the top scorer for England in the 2006–07 Ashes series in Australia, an achievement that was overshadowed by England's 5–0 series defeat. In May 2007, he scored 226 against the West Indies at Headingley, finally surpassing the mark of 158 that he had reached three times previously in Tests.