England batsman Kevin Pietersen was awarded a silver bat on Friday, during the lunch break of Day 3 in the fifth Ashes Test, at the Oval, for becoming the highest run-scorer for England in all forms of the game.
The controversial South Africa-born middle-order batsman, who made his debut for England in November 2004, has scored 13,320 runs in 267 international matches for England.
He surpassed the previous record (13,190), held by Graham Gooch, during the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
Born in Natal in 1980 to a South African father and English mother, Pietersen began his cricketing career as an off-spinner.
He first came to England's notice in 1999 when he made 61 not out, batting at nine, and took four wickets for KwaZulu-Natal against Nasser Hussain's side in a tour match.
Frustrated at South Africa's racial quota system, Pietersen left for England and ended up at Nottinghamshire in 2001 where he averaged almost 60 with the bat in his first season.
He became eligible for England in 2004 and made his debut in a One-day series in Zimbabwe, announcing his international arrival with a man-of-the-match 77 in his second game before going on to make three centuries against the country of his birth in 2005.
He is England's top century maker across the three forms of the game with 32. In 98 Tests he has scored 7775 runs at an average of 48.29.
Image: Kevin Pietersen receives a commemorative engraved bat from ECB chairman Giles Clarke after becoming England's leading run-scorer in International Cricket during Day 3 of the 5th Investec Ashes Test at the Kia Oval, in London, England.
Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
