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Cape Town – Kevin Pietersen will be among the South African commentators in SuperSport’s coverage of the imminent three-Test series between Australia and the Proteas.
The ever-controversial batsman played all his internationals for England, but is Pietermaritzburg-born and joins compatriots Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince and Kepler Wessels as SA “balancers” to the home-based, Channel 9 voices.
Pietersen, 36, continues to globe-trot on the busy Twenty20 franchise circuit, and will, in fact, nip back to his native KwaZulu-Natal between the second Test in Hobart and third in Adelaide to turn out for the Dolphins for parts of their domestic T20 campaign during November.
Given his rich experience in English colours (104 Tests, 136 ODIs), the forthright Pietersen should be capable of making suitably neutral observations during the keenly-awaited series between the traditional southern hemisphere rivals.
Wessels remains a unique figure in having represented both countries, even if he is long retired as a player, so knows the respective cricketing cultures well.
SuperSport communications manager Clinton van der Berg told Sport24 on Tuesday that the SA commentators would not be part of a separate feed.
“All our guys will be on their (Australian) single feed, driven by Channel 9.”
The South Africans will thus be heard at varying intervals, surrounded by established Channel 9 figures like Mark Taylor, Shane Warne, Ian Chappell, Michael Slater, Ian Healy and Englishman Mark Nicholas; former Baggy Greens skipper Michael Clarke has also joined the team this summer.
The first Test starts at the WACA in Perth on Thursday (04:30 SA time).
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