Kevin Pietersen will pull up stumps after BBL season

KEVIN Pietersen will retire from the Big Bash League at the end of the season in the first of several list changes expected at Melbourne Stars.

Kevin Pietersen of the Stars.

KEVIN Pietersen will retire from the Big Bash League at the end of the season in the first of several list changes expected at Melbourne Stars.

The Englishman said he had told club powerbrokers this would be his final summer as he prepares to retire from cricket across the world.

“I won’t be playing next season,” Pietersen, 37, said last night.

“I’m done. I’m done and dusted playing days.

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“You come to the end of your time and you get to a time in your career where you just think, ‘Do I want this?’. I want this desperately at the moment, but I don’t think I’ll want it in 10 months’ time.”

Confirming that this is my last BBL as a player! By the time BBL starts later this yr I cannot see myself wanting to improve or try & get better. That means it’s time to finish! I’ll enjoy playing my last few games at the Adelaide Oval, SCG & MCG! 💚 pic.twitter.com/Erzm8ouxL5

— KP (@KP24) January 7, 2018

Kevin Pietersen hits out against the Renegades.

Pietersen has committed to playing in the Pakistan Super League and Cricket South Africa’s tournament in 2018.

While that will be the end of Pietersen the player, he is expected to return to Australia next summer in media roles.

Pietersen also wants to stay involved with the Stars, where he has batted for four seasons.

“I love Melbourne. To have some sort of (Stars) involvement going forward would be immense value for me,” he said.

Pietersen struck 40 (30) to give the Stars the platform to launch a competitive total against the Renegades.

The Englishman said the 0-4 Stars would not abandon hope of finishing the season with six straight wins to surge into the finals.

After a Stars summer plagued by ultra-attacking dismissals this was a night for controlled aggression.

Kevin Pietersen signs autographs for fans at the MCG.

Traditional cricket strokes were needed in cricket’s most untraditional format and Pietersen and opener Ben Dunk reverted to the textbook.

Pietersen had a look at Jack Wildermuth’s first two deliveries and then struck a glorious straight drive to the rope to get off the mark.

The ageing superstar then pumped his first Mohammad Nabi ball over the bowler’s head and to the fence and his first two Kane Richardson deliveries to the rope.

Bang, bang, bang, bang. Four boundaries off three different bowlers, helping unsettle the Renegades’ attack in the powerplay.

By the end of the sixth over, Pietersen had scored 21 (11) and swung momentum the Stars’ way.

Gades veteran Brad Hodge said his attack would be targeting Pietersen’s pads. But there was no early breakthrough, Pietersen instead padding the Stars to a healthy total.

Pietersen said he was “really irritated” to hole out to Tom Cooper, the second time in as many games he has picked out long on.

It was a soft dismissal, but it wasn’t fatal given the explosive batting to come. The Stars should’ve thrown the bat harder at the death. The lack of boundaries was frustrating, and Pietersen seeing out the innings would’ve delivered more fireworks.

But for the first time in four games, crisis was averted in the top order.

Whether Pietersen signs on or not for next season is unknown. But his impact on emerging Aussie talents shouldn’t be understated.

How much did Pete Handscomb learn from batting with KP three summers ago? Or Marcus Stoinis? Or Glenn Maxwell?