Ironically, Pietersen made his first-class debut for Natal Dolphins against England in the late 1990s and celebrated it with a breezy 61 not out off 57 balls batting at No. 9. Typically, the innings was marked with his trademark sixes. To be precise, he hit four towering sixes.
But his subsequent progress was stymied by the controversial quota system smacking of racism. He was never allowed a permanent place in Natal Dolphins, and when he got a game or two, he was forced to bat down the order, sometimes at No. 10.
Obviously they spared no efforts to nip Pietersen's cricket and his flourishing career in the bud by trying to kill his enthusiasm and confidence. Cut to the quick, a disillusioned Pietersen, armed with a British passport through his England-born mother, headed for Britain's greener pastures.
He didn't have difficulty changing allegiance. He had the full backing of the then England captain Nasser Hussain. Former South African skipper Clive Rice facilitated a move to Nottinghamshire. It was too late when the South African cricket supremo Ali Bacher tried to persuade Pietersen to change his mind.
Pietersen began striding like a colossus on the playing fields of England after arriving at Trent Bridge in 2001, smashing a whirlwind 165 not out (his maiden first-class hundred) against Middlesex at Lord's, following it up with a savage 218 not out versus Derbyshire at Derby, becoming the youngest Nottinghamshire player to score a double century.
He was even more dominating in 2002, hitting, among many other forceful innings, an unbeaten 254 (the highest score by a Nottinghamshire batsman since World War II) against Middlesex at Trent Bridge. The 2003 season was no different either.
Curiously, he wasn't happy with what he thought the mediocrity that had crept into the Nottinghamshire team. This didn't go down well with the authorities. With his supporter and sympathiser Rice no longer at Trent Bridge, he was in for a difficult time.
Image: Pietersen, playing for Nottinghamshire, in action during the Frizzell County Championship Division 2 match against Durham at Trent Bridge on May 27, 2004.
Also see: Murali compares Pietersen with the best
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