LONDON (AP):

Kevin Pietersen's remarkable career took its latest and arguably most dramatic turn yesterday when he was named England cricket captain.

The South African-born batsman will lead England in Test, one-day and Twenty20 matches, starting with the fourth Test against South Africa this week.

The appointment came a day after Michael Vaughan's sudden resignation and caps a remarkable rise for the 28-year-old Pietersen, who was viewed as the enfant terrible of English cricket when he made his debut against Australia three years ago.

He has since toned down his outspoken comments - and outrageous haircuts - to become one of the team's most reliable members.

"I will always respect what has happened in the past and I will always respect what Michael did and what my predecessors did," Pietersen said. "I will always look for advice because I'm new in this job.

"But I'll have my own ways and it's very exciting."

Pietersen, who was born and raised in Pietermaritzburg near Durban but has an English mother, is the eighth best batsman in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings and one of the few experienced players guaranteed a place in the side.

Danger

There is a danger that, like Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara before him, he could find that the burden of leadership hampers his batting style, but Pietersen is a famously focused and driven athlete who has made a career of meeting and exceeding high expectations.

"If he takes to captaincy like he took to his batting, I don't foresee any problems at all," national selector Geoff Miller said.

Barracked by hostile crowds still upset that he had opted to play for England, Pietersen hit 454 from the middle order in seven one-day games on a winter tour of his native South Africa to force his way into the Test team for the 2005 Ashes series.