1980: Born on June 27 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the son of an Afrikaans father and English mother.

1997-98: Makes his first-class debut for Natal. Seen as an off-spinning all-rounder capable of useful runs down the order.

2001: Joins Nottinghamshire with a view to qualifying as an England player of the future, having become frustrated with the quota selection system employed in his native South Africa. Scores 1,275 first-class runs at an average of 57.95 in his first season at Trent Bridge.

2002: Awarded his county cap.

2003: Averages more than 50 with the bat for the third season running but becomes disenchanted with his county employers and threatens to sue for unfair dismissal, even though relegated Nottinghamshire insist he has not been sacked.

2003-04: Emerges as the star performer in England A's otherwise disappointing tour of Malaysia and India.

2004: Surprises many by remaining a Nottinghamshire player and helping his team return to the top flight of the county championship at the first attempt.

September: Selected for the troubled one-day international tour of Zimbabwe even though his qualification period for eligibility is not complete until October.

October: Before travelling with England to Namibia and Zimbabwe, he quits Nottinghamshire and decides to join Hampshire for the 2005 season.

2005: January - Joins the England squad for their seven-match limited-overs series in South Africa, where the home crowds give him a frosty reception.

January 30 - Scores 22 not out in match-winning, unbroken stand with Michael Vaughan in the rain-reduced first fixture in Johannesburg.

February - Registers unbeaten century with 108 in the second match in Bloemfontein. Scores further centuries during that series in East London and Centurion. The 116 he scored in the final match of the series prompted the crowd, who had abused him throughout the series, to give him a standing ovation. David Graveney, the Chairman of selectors, claimed it was the "greatest one-day innings I have ever seen" as Pietersen collects the man-of-the-series award. Becomes the fastest man in history to reach 500 one-day international runs.