On this day in 2008: Kevin Pietersen becomes England Test and One-Day captain

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

The 28-year-old Hampshire batter was believed to be the favorite for the two roles after Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood resigned from their posts the previous day.

Pietersen took charge in the middle of a series against South Africa as one of the few players guaranteed a spot in both the red-ball and white-ball squads.

The South African-born batter’s time as skipper got off to a promising start with a six-wicket win at The Oval, with Pietersen scoring 100 points and earning both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.

A first one-day streak as captain followed immediately after the fourth Test and England emerged 4-0 winners, but the honeymoon didn’t last long as the team slipped.

Pietersen led England for just three Tests and resigned before being forced out just over five months after his appointment.

He resigned on the evening of January 7, 2009, and head coach Peter Moores was fired less than an hour later. The England and Wales Cricket Board acknowledged that there had been an “irrecoverable breakdown” in the relationship between the two.

Andrew Strauss took over as captain and led England to a memorable Ashes win in Australia and to the top of the world rankings in 2010/11.

Pietersen remained in an active role internationally until February 2014, when England’s management unanimously decided that her relationship with the then 33-year-old was over.