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Without the burden of captaincy Kevin Pietersen played a starring role in England’s 2012 World T20 triumph – but then came ‘Textgate’.
He entertained, amazed, infuriated and divided. But for many England cricket fans, Kevin Pietersen is the greatest batsman they have ever seen.
He delivered four Ashes wins, a first ICC World Trophy, almost 14,000 international runs and was involved in his fair share of controversy.
In ‘Story of a Genius’, Nasser Hussain charts the highs and lows of KP’s England career, as well as his upbringing in South Africa and future plans.
- Episode One: Taking the Leap
- Episode Two: The Perfect Stage
Every Monday over the next few weeks, we are re-publishing the episodes on skysports.com – we began with Taking the Leap, as we charted KP’s early career, moving to his England and international debut.
The 2005 Ashes took centre stage in Episode Two, as did Pietersen as he produced a performance that would change his life and catapult him to stardom.
But in Episode Three ‘Friend or Foe’, which you can watch at the top of this page, Nasser examines the circumstances that led to Pietersen’s ill-fated appointment as captain of the national team and subsequent slide.
KP’s elevation lasted just five months – and both he and former England team-mates, including Graeme Swann and Steve Harmison, are refreshingly frank as they discuss whether he was ever really suited to the role.
Despite his removal as England skipper, KP’s form with the bat continued to pay dividends for the team as he helped them become World T20 champions and rise to the top of the Test rankings after a series win against India.
But his commitment to England came into question with the advent of the lucrative IPL, while an infamous Twitter parody account and the retirements of team-mates helped to accelerate his downfall.
Former England captain Andrew Strauss explains why he regrets not doing more to keep KP in the fold – before the ‘Textgate’ scandal of 2012 led to the banishment of their star batsman…
Sourse: skysports.com
