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Kevin Pietersen quits cricket
London, March 17 (IANS) Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday called time on his cricketing career with a four-word Twitter message, writing ‘Boots up! Thank you.
“‘Boots up! Feet up! Family, animals, golf! H O M E!’,” Pietersen wrote in a tweet.
The 37-year-old has been away from international cricket since January 2014, when he played the last of his 104 Tests during the Ashes series in Australia, when England were swept 0-5.
Since then, he had been playing in the various domestic T20 leagues across the globe and in February this year, he had indicated that the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would be his last professional outing.
His side, Quetta Gladiators, have made it to the play-offs of the Twenty20 event, but Pietersen opted out as the remaining matches will be played in Pakistan. He scored 155 runs in eight innings for Quetta at an average of 19.37 and a strike rate of 134.78.
Pietersen, born in South Africa, had an illustrious career for England. He finished up in Test matches when still in his early 30s with 8181 runs at 47.28, including 23 centuries and 35 half-centuries.
He remains the fifth most prolific run-scorer for England in the format, behind Alastair Cook, Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and David Gower.
He was equally effective in the One-day International arena, scoring 4440 runs in 136 outings at an impressive 47.28.
Pietersen captained England in three Test matches as well as 12 ODIs in 2008.
The second-highest scorer for England across all formats behind Cook, Pietersen also featured in 37 Twenty20 Internationals, in which he scored 1176 runs with seven half-centuries and was awarded the Player of the Tournament when England won the ICC World T20 title in 2010.
He has been a very popular pick for T20 franchises across the world, stepping out exactly 200 times and scoring 5695 runs.
Making his Test debut in the 2005 Ashes series, which England famously won 2-1, Pietersen made an immediate impact by scoring a half-century in each of his first two innings. He played his last representative game in England for Surrey last year.
Apart from being active in the T20 circuit, Pietersen has also been actively involved in the conservation of rhinos in South Africa, campaigning against poaching in his native country, where he has relocated since wrapping up with the England national team.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.