Pietersen has to turn opinion once more

As a budding cricketer in his first international winter back in 2004-05, he returned to South Africa, the country of his birth, to turn jeers into cheers.

Crowds symbolically turned their backs on the Hampshire star and heckled vociferously as he walked into bat wearing England blue.

His talent had long been identified, in a similar manner to that of Graeme Hick’s a decade earlier, but public expectation – both in terms of conduct and performance – can be as hostile a foe as baying spectators.

He managed to turn those South African fans 180 degrees by his departure – his third and final hundred of the ODI series receiving a standing ovation.

Now he must convince English fans he retains the drive to make the national team successful again, starting again in the West Indies.

The first leg of the Caribbean tour begins this Sunday with a one-day game against a St Kitts & Nevis Invitation XI.

True, 2009 has begun in tumultuous fashion; his latest career gamble backfiring spectacularly with the loss of the England captaincy.

But Australian great Steve Waugh is one eminent former player who believes the 28-year-old will respond in the way he always has when confronted with adversity: by scoring runs by the barrowload.

“Time’s a good healer,” said Waugh. “It will be forgotten pretty quickly, I’m sure. And if England start winning and he’s hitting runs, then all will be forgiven.”

New captain Andrew Strauss has spoken about reuniting the dressing room upon succeeding Pietersen in the role – and integrating his predecessor will be crucial ahead of the four-Test series against the West Indies.

“I don’t see this (the Pietersen/captaincy controversy) as an issue that’s going to split the side and make them perform poorly,” Waugh added. “If anything, it may have the ability to make the team a bit stronger. Now they’ll get on with playing cricket and they’ll embrace him (Pietersen) as a great, great batsman, which he is.

“It will be pretty soon forgotten and they’ll just get on with the job.”

Taking on authority, and indeed popular opinion, has been a trait of the Pietermaritzburg-born player.

But, having come out on top once against a country’s board, after walking out on South African cricket as a youngster because of a perceived lack of opportunity, Pietersen’s punt on his bosses’ loyalty dislodged him from a seat of power.

As a 20-year-old Pietersen made a high-profile exit from the South African cricketing system to throw his lot in with England.

An off-spinner with Natal, he was not getting the chances he felt were merited, and the quota system – which saw the South African provinces working towards targets of three non-white players per team – was not helping his cause.

It was either he or Ghulam Bodi in the first XI when it came to it and Bodi won.

So an ambitious Pietersen turned to the country of his mother Penny’s birth in a bid to fulfil his ambitions to be an international cricketer.

In fact, his great strength has been his ruthless single-mindedness in becoming the best player possible.

Quite simply, nothing has managed to get in his way and his ratio of 15 hundreds in 45 Tests is comparable to the greats in history.

Every time he has been met with obstacles to his own progression he has walked over them, bolting from Nottinghamshire in a similarly acrimonious manner to join Hampshire in October 2004.

Crucially, however, he responded to being forced to see through the final year of his Trent Bridge contract with an emphatic run spree.

He was simply hurrying towards the fulfilment he craved: international batsmanship of the highest order and the England captaincy.

Few men have thrived so spectacularly in the face of adversity as Pietersen, whether it be with opposing crowds or colleagues mistrustful of his egotistical side.

He has been portrayed as public enemy number one for a misguided attempt at improving the England team.

And now has to repair a reputation against the odds once more.

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