Recalling the youthful Pietersen

It’s 10 years ago that Kevin Pietersen’s life changed forever. When England were touring in 1999-2000, Pietersen lined up against Nasser Hussain’s team for KwaZulu-Natal. He scored 61 at No. 9 and took 4 for 141 with his offspin. He also began enquiring about opportunities in county cricket and soon set off for a new home.

Pietersen is trying to insist this forthcoming Test will be like any other game, but a match-winning performance at Durban, his former home ground, would come pretty near the top of his career highlights. Meanwhile, Graeme Smith hopes the emotion gets to him and South Africa can take advantage.

There are a host of stories about Pietersen’s early years growing up in KwaZulu-Natal and almost everyone involved has had their say in the intervening years, especially since Pietersen made his England debut in 2004 and his first return to South Africa in early 2005. But it’s still fascinating to recall that he wasn't expected to crack the big time.

“The only thing that said he would have made it was his very positive and aggressive attitude,” Mike Bechet, his former coach at Martizburg College, told Cricinfo. “With us he was an offspinning allrounder. When he went into club cricket they didn’t want to bowl him much and I think he made a conscious decision to work on his batting. He was always out to prove a point.

“To be able to break through you have to be given a chance. At the point when he left he hadn’t really done enough. There were a host of people who wanted chances. He probably thought he would have an accelerated chance if he went elsewhere.

“He scored hundreds in his club sides, but other guys were doing that too,” Bechet added. “I suppose he looked at the long-term view – at that point in time there were no guarantees for anyone, we were just coming into transformation and no one really knew what the future held.”

Bechet is still in charge of the cricket intake at Martizburg College which also boasts Jonty Rhodes among its alumni. He didn’t receive a very complimentary mention in Pietersen’s autobiography, the batsman feeling he had been held back.

“In my final year at Maritzburg College I was such a late developer that I was still in the second cricket team,” Pietersen wrote, “but I started to excel and was only kept out of the first team because the coach, Mike Bechet, had something against me - or so it seemed to me. It's funny how he now tries to claim me as one of his successes and asks my mum for shirts and things, but I will never have any time for that man.”

Bechet is keen not to rake over old ground, but is disappointed that Pietersen hasn’t made more of an effort. “He’s made his point, he’s told the world why he left South Africa and I think it would be nice if he came back to the college,” he said. “All the guys who have played Springbok rugby or Protea cricket will come back and present a blazer. Kids love heroes.”