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The 'pie' that capped KP's magical Test

The former England star relives his dismissal of Michael Clarke during the 2010 Adelaide Test

It's a match that represented the peak of his international career, featuring an innings that put England on the path to a drought-breaking Ashes series victory abroad, but the 2010 Adelaide Oval Test was also host to one of Kevin Pietersen's most memorable moments with the ball.

And one Michael Clarke would rather forget.

After putting the finishing touches on a career-best 227 to give England to a mammoth 375-run lead earlier on day four, Pietersen might have been forgiven for thinking he'd done more than enough to help the tourists' cause in the second Test.

Image Id: C4F7303668224DBB8E0E6EFE05F21002 Image Caption: Double delight: Pietersen celebrates his 200 // Getty

But with Stuart Broad going down with what would later be confirmed as a tour-ending abdominal injury and Graeme Swann tiring following a marathon spell with stumps in sight on the game's penultimate day, Andrew Strauss turned to Pietersen.   

While the Pietermaritzburg-born lad had been an off-spinner of some pedigree when he departed South Africa for England a decade earlier, Pietersen had become something of a reluctant bowler.


"I was an off-spinner, then I turned into a batter who ended up not bowling off-spin," he explained to cricket.com.au last summer.

"I didn't enjoy my bowling. I didn’t bowl enough.

"In big boys' cricket I think I saw people hitting off-spinners that far. I wanted to do the hitting. 

"I didn't want to be hit, so I gave that a bit of a wide berth."

KP recalls double ton in Adelaide

Unable to dodge Strauss' invitation to break a promising stand between Clarke and Mike Hussey, Pietersen, such was his golden touch in that Test, needed just eight balls to put England back on track for a milestone victory.

To the naked eye, it appeared a genuinely troubling delivery.

Initially pressing forward, Clarke pushed back before the off-break turned sharply into him, the ball catching the face of his bat and striking his thigh pad before it ballooned up to Alastair Cook at short leg.

Pietersen doesn’t quite see it that way.

"It was a pie. An absolute pie," he put it bluntly.

Image Id: C10AFBD49E75462EADC862C139D99E06 Image Caption: 'It was a pie. An absolute pie' // Getty

While he mockingly added that the ball had "dipped, fizzed, spun (and) bounced," Pietersen was laughing by the time he arrived at spin-bowling buzzwords "overspin" and "sidespin". 

Of course, the scorecard reads: 'Clarke, 80; caught Cook, bowled Pietersen', a fact Pietersen admits he hasn’t been shy of reminding the former Australia captain.

Clarke does have some stiff competition for the mantle of Pietersen's most prized Test scalp.

Image Id: 922B9C415D5240E8843A05276C68A51A Image Caption: Pietersen celebrates as Clarke departs // Getty

The imposing right-armer also dismissed the likes of Graeme Smith, Ross Taylor, Hashim Amla and MS Dhoni in his illustrious 104-Test career.

But it's unlikely any of Pietersen's high-profile victims are forced to relive their dismissal quite as often Clarke does.

"That's a quite fun experience, sitting in the Channel Nine commentary box, talking to him about that dismissal," a smiling Pietersen said.

"Just when he's getting a bit too cocky and ahead of himself. I say, 'mate, come on'.

"'You got out to an absolute pie'."

2017-18 International Fixtures:

Magellan Ashes Series


First Test Gabba, November 23-27. Buy tickets


Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Buy tickets


Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Buy tickets


Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Buy tickets


Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Buy tickets


ODI Series v England


First ODI MCG, January 14. Buy tickets


Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Buy tickets


Third ODI SCG, January 21. Buy tickets


Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Buy tickets


Fifth ODI Perth TBC, January 28. Join the ACF


Prime Minister's XI


PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Buy tickets


T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series


First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Buy tickets


Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Buy tickets


Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Buy tickets


Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 13


Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16


Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18


Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21