KP: Through thick and thin... I’m super proud
CONTROVERSIAL STAR’S FINAL DIG AT ENGLAND AS HE SIGNS OFF BY THANKING FANS
A “SUPER PROUD” Kevin Pietersen has said goodbye to cricket and walked back to the pavilion for the final time.
Controversial and brilliant in equal measure, the former England hero confirmed his retirement yesterday.
His final knock was for just seven in the Pakistan Super League for Quetta Gladiators on Thursday.
But the South Africa-born star leaves behind memories and a record which stands up against the very best in the history of cricket.
His latter-day T20 exploits will not detract from 23 hundreds across 104 Test matches, four Ashes wins or 8,181 Test runs.
Man of the Tournament as England won the World T20 in 2010, Pietersen is England’s second-highest run-scorer of all time across all three formats of the game.
The 37-year-old hinted at his retirement on Friday with a tweet which simply read “Boots Up! Thank you” before expanding on his situation yesterday. “Someone just tweeted to tell me that I scored 30000+ runs including 152 fifty’s & 68 hundreds in my pro career,” he wrote on Instagram.
“4 Ashes wins. Home & away! T20 WC win. Beaten India in India. Home & away 100’s in all major Test nations apart from Bangladesh.
“All dedicated to my family who have just been the most unreal supporters through thick & thin! I’m super proud of everything!
“Thank you for all the quite lovely msgs! I loved entertaining you all! Ciao, cricket! I love this game!”
Pietersen’s final appearance in England came with Surrey last summer. His stint in the Big Bash with the Melbourne Stars over Christmas was his last taste of the big time. Modest returns in the PSL came and now his work is done.
“Time to move on,” he wrote on Twitter yesterday.
Moving on is what England did after the horror Ashes tour of 2013/14. Pietersen’s attitude was criticised by some and he never played for them again.
He tried to revive his Test career, hitting an unbeaten 355 for Surrey, but it was not enough to convince the England and Wales Cricket Board to take him back.
Three Lions fans will best remember him for his Asheswinning 158 in 2005, a 227 against Australia in Adelaide and a 186 in Mumbai in 2012.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: “Well done @KP24 on an fantastic career... Not everyone’s Cup of Tea but you will do for me... Best Batsman I had the pleasure to play with... 1st England batsman that put fear into Aussies... Well Done.” England Tests ODI T20 Matches 104 136 37 Runs 8181 4440 1176 Batt av. 47.28 40.73 37.93 100s/50s 23/35 9/25 0/7 Top score 227 130 79 ■■KP has also won The Ashes against Australia four times – 2005, 2009, 2011 (above with Andrew Strauss) and 2013