Its Only Cricket

He wears diamond studs in his ears, he drinks a can of Red bull(an energy drink) each time before going out to bat, and he likes his girlfriend scream his name during love making... Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is Kevin Pietersen for you. A cricketer with an ODI average of 68.30 and test average of 44.93, at the time of writing, of course!!

But it's not the averages that makes him a cricketer to mention on your blog, but its his ability to hit a cricket ball. He has played 8 test matches(16 innings) and 25 one day internationals to hit 19 and 28 sixes respectively, which means he hits at least one six in every innings he plays.. In the very first year of International cricket – 2005, pietersen was awarded the ICC emerging player of the year and ODI player of the year simultaneously.

Many people wonder that why Kevin Pietersen plays for England, after being born and learing his cricket skills in South Africa. Here is the reason – By the time Pietersen reached a stage in his cricket career that he can expect a call from South African selectors, they introduced a racial quota system to ensure that coloured cricketer's also get a chance to play for the national team. Kevin went to Dr. Ali Bacher – the elder statesman of South African cricket and asked for a fairer deal... which, of course he didn't get!!

He decided to go with his luck, which had given him a South African Father and an English Mother. He came to England in 2001 with his mother and started playing for Nottinghamshire. Pietersen claims that he never worked for a single day in his life, even when he first came to England and was not sure of how to make a living. “I I was a long way from my family and friends and couldn't talk to anyone about anything. I'd go to bed by myself and my head would just spin, 'What's tomorrow going to bring?' And there was the pressure of having to safety net. I thought, 'I have to make a success of this. There is no going back'. Adapt or die.”

And did he succeed. He is currently one of the main batsmen in England's batting line up as they have come on the Indian tour. The test matches will be starting from 1^st of March and he will surely be someone to watch out for.. to be feared from if you are an Indian supporter. Have a look at Kevin Pietersens' cricket Profile so far.

Kevin Pietersen has more surprises for his fans than they can enjoy. One asked him why he plays cricket and he said - “ I hate dressing neat and smart. I am a very hyperactive person; I cannot sit behind a desk for long – that's why I play cricket, so I don't have to dress in a collar and tie all day. Kevin Pietersen, the cricketer claims to be a fighter, be it on the cricket field or anywhere else. The third of four boys born to his South African father, he recalls a boyhood in Pietermaritzburg that felt at times like a battle for survival. "South Africans are competitive people and our household was extremely competitive," he says. "I was third in the pecking order and we all hated losing, whatever we did. We couldn't even jump in the swimming pool without saying, 'Let's have a race'. I'm as competitive as anything. I park at a traffic light and I want to beat the car next to me. To be successful, you need that competitive streak and I've always had it in me." I'm competitive to the zillionth degree. I will never, ever accept defeat until defeat is right in front of me and I never blow things out of proportion, because I believe what will be is what will be.

He has proved his strength in international cricket, but we all know that cricket in asia is something very different. So it remains to be seen that how he tackles the Indian spinners in the up coming India vs England series... will he "Adapt or die" matra work here... we soon will find out!!

Check out the Schedule of England's tour of India - March 2006.