That Kevin Pietersen is a special player has never been in doubt. Whenever he's been faced with a challenge, he usually comes out on top. Before the first Test against India got underway, there were some murmurs about his flashy lifestyle, his liking for fancy cars and the odd grumble about not enough runs in recent times (his average in 8 innings after a double hundred at Adelaide was just 31.5). In the event, Pietersen rose to the occasion magnificently. Playing against the best sides always brings out the best in him and he reached 6000 test runs during the course of his superb unbeaten double ton.
Pietersen is now the 12th Englishman to reach the landmark, and while he doesn't have the same imposing average that the great Sir Len Hutton or someone like Ken Barrington had, he still averages almost 50. For someone who has had to deal with sky high expectations from the time he made his debut, Pietersen has done well so far to live up to them.
Englishmen with 6000 Test runs
It is true that Pietersen has endured a slump of sorts recently, but some of that can be attributed to injuries too. Losing the captaincy in demoralizing circumstances also played a part in Pietersen losing some of his dominating touch. However, the best always bounce back and the unbeaten double ton against India showed how tough Pietersen is mentally.
Amongst all opponents he has had, Pietersen has enjoyed batting against the Aussies and the Windies the most, while his stats against India have also received a major boost courtesy the 202 not out. He hasn't had the best success against Pakistan though.
Pietersen against all opponents
Pietersen started his Test career with a bang with an Ashes winning 158 at the Oval in his first series. Big knocks followed regularly after that, but Pietersen hasn't been the same batsman ever since he was thrown out of the captaincy after the tour to India in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009 and before the Lord's game, he had played in 30 tests and had scored only two tons. His average which hit the 50 mark for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08, had come down to the forties. A drop of about 10 points in the average showed just how much he was struggling to reproduce the big knocks which used to flow consistently earlier.
Another reason for his average show during the past three years has been his performance against left-arm spin. Overall, he has been dismissed 20 times by left-arm spinners during his Test career, and it came as no surprise that he found the Indian attack in the first Test to his liking, since there was no left-arm spinner in it.
Pietersen had been very consistent till 2008, but the next two years were relatively dull ones for him. 2011 too seemed to be following the same script, but he has turned it around with the double century.
Pietersen over the years
A measure of Pietersen's dominance in his early days as a Test cricketer could be seen in the way he raced to his 1000th, 2000th and 3000th test runs - doing so in his 12th, 22nd and his 33rd Tests respectively. But since then, there has been a slight dip in form, which have delayed the corresponding landmarks. While he took 12 Tests to go from 3000 to 4000, it has taken him 15 tests to subsequently get to 5000 and another 15 to 6000.
Pietersen's run progression summary
It is perhaps no surprise that Lord's was the venue for him to roar back to form, because Pietersen has a special affection for Lord's. In 13 test matches at the home of cricket, he has made 5 tons including a double ton. He averages almost 70 and crossed 1000 runs at Lord's during the course of his double ton. He is the 6th Englishman to have achieved that feat after Gooch, Stewart, Strauss, Gower and Boycott.
Pietersen's tons at Lord's
Pietersen chose his moment well, reaching the landmark of 6000 runs in the 2000th Test. His return to form was well timed in the context of the series also, with the third ranked England looking to usurp the top rank from India. For Kevin Pietersen, the signs look good at the moment.
© CricbuzzPietersen is now the 12th Englishman to reach the landmark, and while he doesn't have the same imposing average that the great Sir Len Hutton or someone like Ken Barrington had, he still averages almost 50. For someone who has had to deal with sky high expectations from the time he made his debut, Pietersen has done well so far to live up to them.
Englishmen with 6000 Test runs
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA Gooch | 1975-1995 | 118 | 215 | 6 | 8900 | 333 | 42.58 | 20 | 46 | 13 |
| AJ Stewart | 1990-2003 | 133 | 235 | 21 | 8463 | 190 | 39.54 | 15 | 45 | 14 |
| DI Gower | 1978-1992 | 117 | 204 | 18 | 8231 | 215 | 44.25 | 18 | 39 | 7 |
| G Boycott | 1964-1982 | 108 | 193 | 23 | 8114 | 246* | 47.72 | 22 | 42 | 10 |
| MA Atherton | 1989-2001 | 115 | 212 | 7 | 7728 | 185* | 37.69 | 16 | 46 | 20 |
| MC Cowdrey | 1954-1975 | 114 | 188 | 15 | 7624 | 182 | 44.06 | 22 | 38 | 9 |
| WR Hammond | 1927-1947 | 85 | 140 | 16 | 7249 | 336* | 58.45 | 22 | 24 | 4 |
| L Hutton | 1937-1955 | 79 | 138 | 15 | 6971 | 364 | 56.67 | 19 | 33 | 5 |
| KF Barrington | 1955-1968 | 82 | 131 | 15 | 6806 | 256 | 58.67 | 20 | 35 | 5 |
| GP Thorpe | 1993-2005 | 100 | 179 | 28 | 6744 | 200* | 44.66 | 16 | 39 | 12 |
| AJ Strauss | 2004-2011 | 85 | 151 | 6 | 6111 | 177 | 42.14 | 19 | 24 | 13 |
| KP Pietersen | 2004-2011 | 75 | 128 | 7 | 6030 | 227 | 49.83 | 18 | 23 | 7 |
It is true that Pietersen has endured a slump of sorts recently, but some of that can be attributed to injuries too. Losing the captaincy in demoralizing circumstances also played a part in Pietersen losing some of his dominating touch. However, the best always bounce back and the unbeaten double ton against India showed how tough Pietersen is mentally.
Amongst all opponents he has had, Pietersen has enjoyed batting against the Aussies and the Windies the most, while his stats against India have also received a major boost courtesy the 202 not out. He hasn't had the best success against Pakistan though.
Pietersen against all opponents
| Versus | Span | M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Australia | 2005-2011 | 17 | 30 | 1476 | 227 | 52.71 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| v Bangladesh | 2010-2010 | 4 | 7 | 342 | 99 | 68.4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| v India | 2006-2008 | 9 | 16 | 912 | 202* | 60.80 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| v New Zealand | 2008-2008 | 6 | 10 | 445 | 129 | 44.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| v Pakistan | 2005-2010 | 11 | 19 | 688 | 135 | 36.21 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| v South Africa | 2008-2010 | 8 | 14 | 598 | 152 | 42.71 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| v Sri Lanka | 2006-2011 | 9 | 15 | 648 | 158 | 46.28 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| v West Indies | 2007-2009 | 11 | 17 | 921 | 226 | 57.56 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Pietersen started his Test career with a bang with an Ashes winning 158 at the Oval in his first series. Big knocks followed regularly after that, but Pietersen hasn't been the same batsman ever since he was thrown out of the captaincy after the tour to India in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009 and before the Lord's game, he had played in 30 tests and had scored only two tons. His average which hit the 50 mark for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08, had come down to the forties. A drop of about 10 points in the average showed just how much he was struggling to reproduce the big knocks which used to flow consistently earlier.
Another reason for his average show during the past three years has been his performance against left-arm spin. Overall, he has been dismissed 20 times by left-arm spinners during his Test career, and it came as no surprise that he found the Indian attack in the first Test to his liking, since there was no left-arm spinner in it.
Pietersen had been very consistent till 2008, but the next two years were relatively dull ones for him. 2011 too seemed to be following the same script, but he has turned it around with the double century.
Pietersen over the years
| Year | M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | 16 | 674 | 158 | 44.93 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 | 14 | 26 | 1343 | 158 | 53.72 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2007 | 11 | 21 | 1007 | 226 | 50.35 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | 12 | 20 | 1015 | 152 | 50.75 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 11 | 17 | 760 | 102 | 47.5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2010 | 14 | 22 | 831 | 227 | 41.55 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | 5 | 6 | 400 | 202* | 80.00 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A measure of Pietersen's dominance in his early days as a Test cricketer could be seen in the way he raced to his 1000th, 2000th and 3000th test runs - doing so in his 12th, 22nd and his 33rd Tests respectively. But since then, there has been a slight dip in form, which have delayed the corresponding landmarks. While he took 12 Tests to go from 3000 to 4000, it has taken him 15 tests to subsequently get to 5000 and another 15 to 6000.
Pietersen's run progression summary
| Run progression | Opposition | Venue | Match date | Debut date | Time | Matches | Inns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Sri Lanka | Lord's | 11th May 2006 | 21st Jul 2005 | 294 days | 12 | 23 |
| 2000 | Australia | Melbourne | 26th Dec 2006 | 21st Jul 2005 | 1 year and 158 days | 22 | 41 |
| 3000 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 18th Dec 2007 | 21st Jul 2005 | 2 years and 150 days | 33 | 63 |
| 4000 | India | Mohali | 19th Dec 2008 | 21st Jul 2005 | 3 years and 151 days | 45 | 83 |
| 5000 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | 20th Mar 2010 | 21st Jul 2005 | 4 years and 242 days | 60 | 107 |
| 6000 | India | Lord's | 22nd July 2011 | 21st Jul 2005 | 6 years and 1 day | 75 | 128 |
It is perhaps no surprise that Lord's was the venue for him to roar back to form, because Pietersen has a special affection for Lord's. In 13 test matches at the home of cricket, he has made 5 tons including a double ton. He averages almost 70 and crossed 1000 runs at Lord's during the course of his double ton. He is the 6th Englishman to have achieved that feat after Gooch, Stewart, Strauss, Gower and Boycott.
Pietersen's tons at Lord's
| Versus | Runs scored | Ground | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 158 | Lord's | May 2006 |
| West Indies | 109 | Lord's | May 2007 |
| India | 134 | Lord's | July 2007 |
| South Africa | 152 | Lord's | July 2008 |
| India | 202* | Lord's | July 2011 |
Pietersen chose his moment well, reaching the landmark of 6000 runs in the 2000th Test. His return to form was well timed in the context of the series also, with the third ranked England looking to usurp the top rank from India. For Kevin Pietersen, the signs look good at the moment.
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