Peter Noel Kirsten is a former South African cricketer who played 12 Tests and 40 One Day Internationals in hi career that lasted 34 years. Born on 14 May 1955 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, and Kirsten attended Selborne College in East London. He was active in his college days in cricket. In the year 1966 Kirsten scored his first century at the age of ten. Kirsten represented Western Province at schools level in both rugby and cricket and made his debut for Western Province in first class cricket while still at school.

Peter Kirsten

represented South Africa in all 19 unofficial Rebel Test matches in the period of 1982 to 1989, where he scored 1,192 runs at an average of 41.10. Kirsten also led the South African side in 6 of these matches, winning 4 times, losing 1 and drawing 1. In his first class career, he scored centuries in both innings of a match on three occasions. He also hit double tons, as well as eight double centuries, which is the highest by any South Africa batsmen. Kirsten moved to East London in 1990 and became captain of the newly promoted Border Cricket Union team.Kisten joined South African team to visit India in 1991. Kirsten made his Test debut in 1992 against the West Indies, at the age of 36 years and 340 days.

Kirsten married Tuffy in 1983. Kirsten is an offspring of a sporting family. His father Noël Kirsten, and younger brother Andrew Kirsten and youngest half-brother Paul Kirsten were involved in sports. His other half-brother, Gary Kirsten, was the part of South Africa in in 101 cricket Tests for South Africa.

Apart from cricket, he was also intersted in rugby, where he had tried his hand successfully. But a knee injury that hurt him badly made him to stay out of rugby since then.

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When the Australian batsman Matthew Hayden says farewell to international cricket, a list of records are safe in his kitty. He batted for just six matches in the first six years of his career. His inauspicious debut was in 1994 in South Africa. The left-hander then went on a record-breaking spree in the next eight years.

Hayden physically towered over his opponents. Thanks to the hugely build batsman’s statistics.

After an unforgettable debut, Hayden became a regular member of the Test team in

2001. He outshined others with his massive 549 at an average of 109.80 against India.

In the next summer, he hit tons in four consecutive Tests against South Africa, and narrowly missed making it five, before going back to pavilion for 96 in Cape Town.

Within the span of 12 months, he scored an impressive1,509 Test runs at 71.85. He was awarded the Allan Border Medal in Feb 2002. His tally of 1,391 Test runs in the 2001 calendar year was an Australian. Hayden was named as the Wisden cricketer of the year in 2003. Hayden scored highest individual innings in Test history next year. He knocked 380 against Zimbabwe by breaking the record of 375 made by Brian Lara. But later Brian Lara posted the first quadruple-century in Test history. In 2005, he again made four centuries in four Tests against England, the West Indies (and the World XI).

Hayden hammered the highest ODI score by an Australian when he scored an unbeaten 181 against New Zealand. The big left-hander also made an impressive performance at the 2007 World Cup, when Australia defended its crown. He scored 659 runs at 73.22. He scored the fastest century in World Cup history (66 balls) and became the third person to score three centuries in a single World Cup.

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