Former England Cricketer Kevin Pietersen Inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

New Delhi, July 12

One of the first batters to thrive as international cricket evolved into three formats, Pietersen's achievements earned him a place among the sport's all-time greats in the prestigious Hall of Fame.

Reacting to the honour, Pietersen said he was humbled to receive the highest recognition in cricket.

"It's a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame," Kevin Pietersen said on being inducted, as quoted by ICC. "To be recognised in this way and see my name beside so many of the game's greats is truly humbling. It is the highest recognition a cricketer can receive, and I know it will take some time for it to fully sink in.

"I feel privileged to have played across all three formats of the game, and I look back on my career with immense pride and satisfaction. I would like to thank the ICC for this wonderful honour, as well as my family, teammates, coaches and everyone who supported me throughout my journey. This recognition is one I will cherish forever."

After making his mark with Nottinghamshire, Kevin Pietersen joined Hampshire, where he played under the captaincy of Shane Warne. The move proved significant, as Warne would later become one of his fiercest opponents during the iconic 2005 Ashes series.

Pietersen's aggressive approach in first-class cricket, reflected in a strike rate of 94 while averaging close to 40, earned him his first England call-up in 2004 for limited-overs tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, his country of birth.

He announced himself on the international stage by averaging 104 across three innings in the ODI series against Zimbabwe before heading to South Africa, where he was met with a hostile reception from local fans, including during a warm-up match against South Africa A.

Despite the reception, Pietersen let his bat do the talking. He scored 97 off 84 balls in the warm-up fixture, followed by an unbeaten 108 from 96 deliveries in the second ODI. He then smashed a 69-ball century in East London, which at the time was the fastest ODI hundred by an England batter. Later in the series, he struck 116 after arriving at the crease with England struggling at 32/3. Pietersen finished the series with 454 runs and was named Player of the Series, despite England losing the five-match contest 4-1.

Injuries threatened to curtail a home summer in England, though he had one opportunity to plant a seed of doubt in Australia's Ashes campaign in the preceding ODI tri-series.

Chasing 253 and walking at 119/4 in the 28th over, Pietersen watched three partners fall at the other end, and with Jon Lewis walking out at No.9, the right-hander decided he needed to finish the job himself. From going from 18 off his first 30 deliveries, Pietersen finished with 91 not out from 65 balls, proving Australia's invincibility in the upcoming Test series was no longer.

Handed England Test cap number 626, Pietersen showed calm and class, making 57 after walking out to bat at 18/3 at Lord's, also making 64 in the second innings and becoming the fourth player to top score in both innings on debut for England.

After defeat at the Home of Cricket, England hit back at Edgbaston, with Pietersen making a vital 71 in an eventual two-run win.

Pietersen's reputation for standing up in tense moments came to the fore in the deciding fifth Test of the series, pushing Australia out of the match with a day five hundred. His maiden century (158) included seven sixes, and took him to a series-high tally of 473 runs at an average of 52.55. The rewards for his efforts included a Player of the Series medal and a Member of the British Empire, and he was eventually crowned Emerging Cricketer and ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year by the ICC.

Pietersen's consistency at the highest level earned him a place in the ICC Test Team of the Year in both 2007 and 2008, while he was also named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year on three occasions--in 2005, 2007 and 2009.

In March 2007, he became only the third England batter to reach the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's ODI batting rankings, underlining his status as one of the world's leading limited-overs players.

In 2013, Pietersen produced one of the most memorable attacking innings of his Test career, remaining unbeaten on 149 against South Africa on the third day of the second Test at Headingley. His counter-attacking knock helped England salvage the match, and he also became the fastest player to reach 7,000 Test runs in terms of time taken.

A year earlier, Pietersen had briefly announced his retirement from international cricket before reversing the decision. In 2013, he went on to become England's highest run-scorer across all international formats.

By the time his international career came to an end, Pietersen had amassed nearly 13,800 runs for England. He finished with an average of 47.28 in Test cricket and 40.73 in ODIs, while scoring at a strike rate of over 141 and averaging close to 38 in T20 Internationals.

In recognition of his achievements, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) included Pietersen in England's all-time greatest Test XI in August 2018, marking the country's 1,000th Test match.

— ANI