Century Propels Pietersen To Top Of Overall MVP - 27/11/2008 - The Professional Cricketers' Association

Century Propels Pietersen To Top Of Overall MVP - 27/11/2008

Kevin Pietersen's magnificent innings of 111 not out in the fifth ODI from Cuttack might not have been enough to save England from their fifth straight defeat in India, but it sets the standard for the rest of his team to follow and lifts him back to the top of the overall England MVP. Pietersen added 112 in partnership with the in-form Owais Shah for the fifth wicket as England posted a healthy 270-4 from their 50 overs.
Pietersen and Shah are England's most successful run-getters in this year's ODI campaign. Shah leads the way with 513 runs, while Pietersen, who has scored both of England's hundreds, is not far behind on 493. Pietersen scored 41% of England's total in Cuttack earning him extra bonus points and has now amassed 1142 runs from all cricket. He has jumped back past Shah into third spot in the ODI MVP.

Shah has been consistent for the whole of the MVP campaign recording five fifties and three other scores of 40 or more from 13 innings. In India alone he has scored 236 runs at better than a run-a-ball after starting with a duck in the first ODI in Rajkot.

Stuart Broad is just one point behind Pietersen in the overall MVP. He picked up the valuable wicket of Virender Sehwag for 91, his 41st victim across all cricket but not before the dynamic Indian opener had done real damage. Broad leads the ODI MVP having taken 24 wickets and scored 76 runs.

Andrew Flintoff was the most economical of England's bowlers in Cuttack but struggled for MVP points as he failed to take a wicket or score a run. Before this match the big all-rounder had been charging up both the ODI and overall MVP rankings but remains second and fourth respectively. Flintoff has scored 414 runs and taken 26 wickets from just 14 games in all forms. In ODIs he's scored 301 runs and taken 17 wickets.

Jimmy Anderson, who had been ever present for England since the beginning of the MVP campaign at the start of our domestic summer before Cuttack, was dropped for Steve Harmison after taking one wicket in his last ten ODIs. The Lancashire swing bowler has bowled economically in India and without much luck and should find himself back in contention for the Test matches as the leading player in the Test MVP. He maintains his third position in the overall MVP. Anderson is still the leading wicket-taker across all forms with 42 wickets.

Ian Bell was another player left out as England rang the changes to find a formula that might unsettle the hosts. Bell has been consistent without going on to get the big scores in the ODIs but he has notched the highest score of the overall campaign so far: 199 versus South Africa in the first Test at Lord's. Bell has 815 runs across all forms and is ranked fifth in both the overall and the ODI MVP.

For more information and to see the full tables and leaders in individual competitions click on the links below.

Overall Rankings - MVP
LVCC Rankings
Friends Provident Rankings
Twenty20 Rankings
NatWest Pro40 Rankings