Kevin Pietersen: Show piece or Show pony?

He wears diamond earrings, he has swagger, bombast and a cricketing talent to die for. Who am I talking about - sounds like Shane Warne, doesn't it? But no, this is Kevin "I have a tattoo" Pietersen.

In sports reporting there are 2 signs to look for from the journalists. They are as follows:

The person in question becomes known only by his first name or an affectionate form of the surname: eg Freddie, Warney

They are known by their initials: eg DC, JYS (ssh - that's motorsport).

Both these are signals of respect and achievement and Kevin Pietersen became KP to the world very early in his career.

Born in South Africa of an English mother, he chose to go through the years of qualification to play for England and in 2004, toured Zimbabwe and South Africa. He did not have a comfortable time playing in the country of his birth, but he made a One Day century at Bloemfontein, ignoring the jeers and cat-calls of the crowd.

He announced his arrival on the Test scene in 2005, in the first Ashes Test at Lord's, with 2 half-centuries. His astonishing knock of 158 at the Oval in the final crucial match of the series ensured that the Ashes came home for the first time in 18 years.

Since then he has not disappointed in either the Test or One Day side. He is a force to be reckoned with for any bowling attack, and despite his ludicrous efforts with the hair-cuts and the bottles of dye, this man is no show pony. He is the real deal.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]