Combined Australia-England Ashes XI

4. Kevin Pietersen

 
Kevin Pietersen broke into Test cricket in the Ashes 2005 with his dazzling batting shows. Riding on his scintillating performances, England came out victorious in the Test series against Australia after 18 years. Notching up 473 runs in 10 innings of five matches, he ended up as the leading run-scorer in the tournament and made his maiden Test series memorable

In the next edition, Australia humiliated England by 5-0 and took away the urn. However, one thing that went well for the English side was its the-then premier batter, Pietersen, who produced stunning batting masterclasses. Despite his team’s failure, the former England stalwart didn’t lose confidence and hit 490 runs in 10 innings of five matches. These numbers also made him the second-leading run-getter in the competition. 

The dynamic right-handed batter played his last international game against Australia in the fifth Test of the Ashes 2013-14. Throughout the competition, England struggled to be among the wins but Pietersen again stood tall in his squad, becoming the highest run-getter for England with 294 runs in 10 innings of five matches.