News about Kevin Pietersen

NASSER HUSSAIN: Yes, it is a flat pitch in Multan, but the skill, the concentration and the fitness they showed in the scorching heat was remarkable. Out of everyone who has scored 250 in a Test, Root made the lowest percentage of his runs in boundaries, which meant he had to run the majority of them, and yet he still batted for 10 hours. And at the other end was Brook. Only Virender Sehwag has got a run-a-ball 300 in Test cricket, but Brook had the skill to almost match him without looking frenetic or chaotic.

NASSER HUSSAIN: Whether Joe Root overtakes Alastair Cook's England Test record of 12,472 runs in this game or the next, we already know we're looking at arguably this country's greatest ever batter. It's difficult to compare eras, and I can only comment on the players I've seen, but Root combines the flair of Kevin Pietersen, the penchant for match-defining innings of Graham Gooch, and the hunger for runs of Cook.

Cricket player Kevin Pietersen has withdrawn his application to join the exclusive £92,000 a year Sunningdale Golf Club. The former England cricketer lives close to the Berkshire course with his wife Jess Taylor. Friends of the accomplished golfer, 44, recently asked if he could join Sunningdale. But his application was dismissed before Pietersen could be formally proposed, because four existing members said they would reject him. Sunningdale Golf Club has full membership fees of £92,000 per year with an annual subscription fee of £9,500.

NASSER HUSSAIN: Aura is a peculiar thing - it's having that confidence and that unflustered look about you. It's not necessarily about trying to be like Kevin Pietersen or Viv Richards but Harry Brook has that real aura about him at the crease. He is such a talent and he does have a bit of Pietersen about him with those long levers but in the absence of Ben Stokes , Brook's role in the middle order becomes even more vital for England.

Mark Wood blew the West Indies away with a ferocious spell of fast bowling as England racked up a thumping 10-wicket victory and a 3-0 series sweep in three days at Edgbaston. Wood brought the heat in Birmingham, terrorising the tourists as he ended their second-innings resistance with the kind of destructive performance once associated with the kings of Caribbean cricket. Ben Stokes then showed the same panache with the bat, taking a rare turn at opener and blazing the fastest ever half-century by an Englishman - taking just 24 frantic deliveries.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Harry Brook wants to sample life in charge of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred next month before deciding whether to add the England white-ball captaincy to his bucket list. Brook has been touted as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who spoke to Rob Key on Monday as part of the ECB managing director's review of the limited-overs set-up following a pair of underwhelming World Cup defences in India and the Caribbean. No decision is expected on the future of either Buttler or head coach Matthew Mott until after the third Test against West Indies, starting at Edgbaston on Friday- though speculation has long been rife that Brook is among the candidates.

DAVID LLOYD: Harry Brook's 109 was his first Test hundred at home. What a marvellous player he is. He's got every shot in the book and left fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root standing. Root says that batting with Brook is like batting with former England star Kevin Pietersen, who was no stranger to fireworks. For me, there is no higher praise. There was a private battle going on between Brook and West Indies quick Jayden Seales. Fast bowlers can get stung in that sort of situation. Shades of Jimmy Anderson, Glenn McGrath or Angus Fraser. But think of former West Indies greats Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding - beware the silent assassins!

PAUL NEWMAN: Cricket is a very different game now to the one I started covering as a correspondent for Mail Sport and it is one I leave, after more than 17 years, in a more precarious state than ever. Michael Atherton tells how, in early 2008, he warned a group of journalists that if the IPL was not checked by administrators, it would rapidly become the dominant force in the game. How they all scoffed. Well, most of them. I was in that bar in Dunedin during England's tour of New Zealand and, as I remember it, was pretty much the only voice in agreement with Athers who, then as now, is one of the best thinkers on our great game.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: For a man with an injury history as long as his 6ft 7in frame, Reece Topley cuts a relaxed figure as he soaks up the Cardiff sun and looks ahead to a World Cup that he knows could define him. Last year in India, he broke a finger four games into England's ill-fated 50-over title defence. Six months earlier, he had dislocated a shoulder at the IPL. In late 2022, he missed England's T20 World Cup triumph in Australia after treading on the boundary foam in practice and injuring his ankle. He has had too many stress fractures of the back to mention, and in 2016 a bouncer from Boyd Rankin broke his hand on debut for Hampshire. Back in 2009, when Topley was 15, he needed stitches after being hit on the head in the nets by a straight-drive from Kevin Pietersen.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Though he is full of admiration for the England legend, 23-year-old Smith, who made his international debut during last summer's one-day series against Ireland, is not an obvious Kevin Pietersen prototype. The latest Surrey player to pass through the ranks of Whitgift School in Croydon - following Jason Roy, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley - Smith exudes modesty, and is conscious that any talk of the England wicketkeeping role implies bad news for his county team-mate Ben Foakes.

Kevin Pietersen believes Novak Djokovic is owed an apology from the Australia government following a major development surrounding the AstraZeneca Covid jab. The Anglo-Swedish producer of the vaccine withdrew global distribution of the jab on Tuesday, after admitting it can cause potentially fatal side effects.

Buying my first Chanel handbag back in 2009 felt like such an achievement. It was the classic flap bag in black leather with silver hardware and chain strap. It cost £1,500 - an eyewatering sum for me in my late 20s - but I'd spent years saving up for it, and swinging it over my shoulder, I felt ridiculously proud of myself. Fifteen years later, I'm glad I still own it, but it is carefully packed away in its box. And any money I earn is spent very differently - a holiday or home improvement, or it is saved. Why? Because I no longer carry luxury status symbols around with me - and if I can't use them, why buy them? I've lived and worked in London most of my adult life and, like most people who live in the capital city, I make it my business to be incredibly aware of my surroundings, whatever the time of day. But muggings are now at an all-time high. Incidents of personal theft have tripled in the West End in the past two years, with latest figures showing more than 6,000 luxury watches were stolen in London in 2022.

The balaclava-clad criminal seized the phone in a moment from his startled victim before racing away along a fashionable street near the centre of the capital. The brazen theft follows a series of similar crimes across the city which have prompted fears visitors will steer clear of London for fear of being the next targets. The latest incident happened in Albany Place in Marylebone, near Regents Park, with footage shared and going viral on X, formerly Twitter. The account uploading the clip captioned it with the words of warning: 'Keep your head on swivel when in London.'

The former Test captain appeared to fear being a victim in an online taunt about crime levels in London - directly addressing Mr Khan. Ex-international Pietersen revealed on X, formerly Twitter, he was removing any expensive jewellery - including his wedding ring - as he prepared to visit London. He shared a photo of his hand this morning, accompanied by the words: 'Gotta go into London today. No watch and a flimsy piece of plastic on my wedding finger. Well done, @Sadiq Khan!' Pietersen, who played 104 Test matches for England and helped the side win the T20 World Cup in 2010, received both praise and mockery for this morning's message.

The Princess Of Wales''most realistic' Kate Middleton lookalike has requested that wild conspiracy theories about her Lady Of Wales be 'put to bed.' Heidi Agan, a professional lookalike who has been earning more than a decade as an impersonating the royal, has been consistently attacked on the internet by wild claims that it was actually her in a farm shop video of Prince William and Kate. On Friday, Agan appeared on The Morning Show: "It's been completely insane." I've obviously been doing a lot of interviews and giving people my alibi about my whereabouts.'

Heidi Agan, a professional Kate Middleton impersonating the royal for more than a decade, said it was not her who was seen in a video of the Prince and Princess of Wales near Windsor on Saturday. Heidi said on ITV's This Morning, 'I think it's time for the public to leave her alone.' It started off as a joke, but I suspect she is fine, but before that, she needs to recover and heal.'

Emma Taylor, a 43-year-old England cricketer, lives with his wife Jessica Taylor, who is also 43, close to Windsor, where Kate and William were seen on Saturday. Kate was caught walking quickly from a grocery store with her husband, the first video of the future queen after her abdominal surgery in January. Despite The Sun's video demonstrating that Kate is recovering well, the film was a balm to millions in the United Kingdom and around the world, but crazed conspiracy theories are still circulating about her. 'The conspiracy theories regarding Kate are totally ridiculous,' she said, despite the fact that it is not Kate and cranks still insisting it is not Kate.' 'We see W&K [William and Kate] most days and in the last couple days too! It beggars belief that people would be so unneful and cruel in writing BULLS**T'. 'W&K are the most wonderful parents, and they are also as normal/humble as they come,' He said. Let K., who is recovering from an operation, recover. Leave her and her lovely family alone.' Kevin Pietersen has previously posted about running cricket lessons at Lambrook School, which is where William and Kate's children are enrolled. It has been previously reported that KP's son Dylan, who is supposed to be a top cricketer in the making, also attends Lambrook. In Sheffield today (left), the Prince of Wales returned to royal duties as a royal expert who informed Kate and William that walking out of a busy Saturday lunchtime shatters conspiracy theories about her health and her relationship.

Exclusive INTERVIEW BY CHRIS FOY: Ollie Lawrence is a writer who inspired him. He grew up playing and watching a variety of sports, so there were several of them. On Saturday, one could be with him or against him, and another could be opposite him. However, let's start with one that will not be near Murrayfield and the Six Nations. The Bath and England center, who is primed for a recall against Scotland after a hip injury, claims 'Michael Jordan was certainly my most athletic idol.' "I didn't watch much American sports as a child, but when the Last Dance came out, it opened my eyes to him as a character and everything he did in his career.' "It wasn't just his education, but the company's culture and his drive to be the best in the industry.' That resonated with me and is something I want to be. I want to be a member of winning squads and do all the little things that add up.

When Rehan Ahmed recalls the talk that culminated in his first appearance as England's new 'Nighthawk,' he glows with all the excitement of a 19-year-old living his dream.' 'I don't know where I got the confidence from,' Ahmed of his batting comeo, which culminated in two fours in the last over a third day, despite what was used to be called the nightwatchman's appearance in the second Test. 'As we were walking around, I went straight to Stokesey and thought, 'let me get the pads on.' I just felt it was a good time to go into the world, and I'll do so if I have the opportunity. 'He let me do it as well,' which was cool.'

England won by a 190-run deficit in Hyderabad on Sunday to defeat India in a historic Test victory. Ben Stokes' side recovered after a difficult first two days with a spectacular 196 from Ollie Pope. In the first Test, debutant spinner Tom Hartley spun his team to a 28-run victory.

Ben Stokes' side recovered with a 196 from Ollie Pope as he came back from a jittery first innings to play one of his country's best abroad. Tom Hartley, the debutant spinner, made a comeback of his own by taking seven second innings wickets to spin his team to victory by 28 runs. With confidence on their side and a series win in India, England will now go into the remainder of the series, an unprecedented occurrence in the modern age.

MATT HUGHES: After being chastised for their spartan coverage of day one in Hyderabad, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook and fast bowler Steven Finn are likely to lead a beefed-up TNT Sports' production of the second Test in Visakhapatnam next week. With TNT's home nationals only signing a five-year contract last week, there was insufficient time to build a punditry team before the series's launch, leaving host Matt Floyd to talk in a broadcaster without a single studio presence. For the remainder of the series, TNT will have a broadcast feed of the Indian commentary team, including former England captains Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, but will also have their own pundits from the second Test onwards.

Fast starts, keeping India's spinners quiet, runs on the board and picking the right team! Those are the keys to touring success, as told to Mail Sport by England's heroes of 2012, when the last Test team to beat mighty India on their own turf.

Any player coming out of retirement these days, swapping the pitch for the camera is almost a mandatory move for players. However, although the majority of people work for a spot in the commentary box, the sight of professional athletes becoming television presenters is somewhat unusual. Seldom are more popular at both football and television than Freddie Flintoff, who went from being one of England's greatest-ever cricketers to a television icon.