Kevin Pietersen

One of the most flamboyant cricketers ever to don the England cap, Kevin Pietersen is a name that divides opinion like few others in the sport. Pietersen made his Test debut in the 2005 Ashes scoring a half century in his very first innings and followed it up with another in the second. He was the standout performer for England with the rest of the batting order collapsing around him. Over the years, many of England\'s big totals were in part due to Pietersen\'s masterful stroke play and the team have generally struggled in his absence. Born South African, Pietersen joined Nottighamshire in 2000. His first ODI series was in 2004 against Zimbabwe, in which he averaged 104. In the subsequent series series against South Africa, he scored three centuries, one of which was the fastest ever by an Englishman. But Pietersen\'s consistency with the bat was also accompanied by clashes with the ECB, former England coach Peter Moores, Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss which ultimately led him to be axed from the England setup.