5 great sportspersons and their biggest weaknesses

Kevin Pietersen: Left-arm spin

The mercurial Kevin Pietersen is frequently in the news, and not necessarily for his cricketing. The South African-born former England player has struggled through his career against left-arm spin, and this came to a head during England’s test tour of India in 2008.

Playing off the bowling of star Indian batsman and left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh in the teams’ preceding ODI series, Pietersen famously described the Indian as a “pie-thrower.”

"I wasn't surprised to see him come on," Pietersen told press at the time. "When Zaheer Khan, one of the best fast bowlers I have faced, is not bowling and you have a pie chucker like Yuvraj Singh on, I really don't mind.” That remark came on the heels of England’s riling of Yuvraj in the previous innings.

Describing Yuvraj as “left-arm filth,” he put his long-time worries against left-arm spin on full display at the time.

In his career, Pietersen has fallen repeatedly to left-arm spinners – one year losing his wicket to Daniel Vettori four times in six tests. He’s also struggled against bowlers such as Paul Harris and Ryan Hinds, with teams choosing to play left-arm spinners when they see Kevin Pietersen come on to bat.