The Story

England’s batsman in exile, Kevin Pietersen, marked a fabulous return to the cricket on his home soil yesterday, slamming a match winning 52 off just 37 balls and helping his side, side Surrey, notch up a victory by 10 runs.

It was typical KP on display – dominating and full of confidence – as he went to propel his side to a respectable total of 150/9 amid batting failures from his teammates. Opener Aaron Finch was the second highest run getter with 21 to his name while others just managed uneventful low scores.

A spectacular knock

There was a lot of buzz surrounding his comeback. KP was also delighted to be a part of the county action once again.

“I absolutely loved being back out there. It was a date in my diary I had looked forward to for a very long time so to get there and do what I did and help the boys get the victory was magnificent.

His knock included 5 sixes and 1 boundary. Speaking about keeping his unadulterated attacking mindset intact, he said

“It was just nice to be batting, manipulating the field and keeping things ticking over. Hitting sixes is a by-product of the art of batting and I still love the art of batting.

Picks a calf strain

It’s no hidden fact that age is catching up with Pietersen. The South Africa born cricketer, who switched to franchise cricket after facing the axe from ECB, has already cut down a massive size of his work commitments keeping in mind his age. It was clearly understandable after he made himself unavailable for the 10th season of the IPL which took place earlier this year.

Fitness is his area of concern. The glimpse of KP fitness concern was witnessed last night after he pulled a calf muscle.

“My calf is a little bit sore and, at 37, I know my body. If I had gone out there and started sprinting I could have done a lot of damage to it. I want to play on Friday against Middlesex but if I need to pull up I will.”