On This Day in 2008 – Kevin Pietersen appointed England Test and one-day captain

Kevin Pietersen was named as England’s new Test and one-day captain on this day in 2008.

The 28-year-old took over after Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood stood down from their respective positions the previous day.

Pietersen took charge in the middle of a Test series against South Africa, as one of the only players who was guaranteed a place in both red and white-ball squads.

The South Africa-born batter’s spell as skipper began promisingly with a six-wicket win at The Oval, scoring a hundred and picking up both the player of the match and player of the series awards.

A first one-day series in charge followed and England ran out 4-0 winners, but the honeymoon period did not last for long as the team started to slide.

Pietersen led England for only three Tests and quit before he was forced out just over five months after his appointment.

He resigned on the evening of January 7, 2009, with head coach Peter Moores sacked less than an hour later. The England and Wales Cricket Board admitted there had been an “irretrievable breakdown” in the relationship between the pair.

Andrew Strauss took over the captaincy and led England to a memorable Ashes victory in Australia in 2010-11 and top spot in the world rankings.

Pietersen carried on in a playing role internationally until February 2014, when England’s management unanimously decided that their relationship with the then 33-year-old had run its course after a fractious Ashes campaign.