Kevin Pietersen’s autobiography is the rare cricketing book that reads like a legal statement. He is arguing a case, and whether or not you accept it, the detail about what actually happened in the dressing room and at the board is unusually specific.
Here is what the audio edition contains, how it is read, how long it takes, and four other cricket audiobooks worth pairing with it.
The facts
| Audiobook | Who it is for | Length | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|
| KP: The Autobiography Kevin Pietersen | The unvarnished version of a very public career | Byron Mondahl | |
| Bounce Matthew Syed | The practice argument behind the story | James Clamp | |
| Open Andre Agassi | What a long public career costs | Erik Davies | |
| The Analyst Inside Cricket Simon Hughes | The professional game without the personas |
What it covers
KP: The Autobiography — Kevin Pietersen
Pietersen tells it straight: the Kent arrival, the Ashes in Australia, the 2010 complaints and the fallout, and the years after. It is not a polished book and that is the point – it reads like a man arguing his case rather than curating his legacy.
Listen to Cricket's Greatest for Free —
Keep your first audiobook forever.
Start a 30-day Audible trial and download biographies of Kohli, Warne, Tendulkar, or elite sports psychology books.
Read by Byron Mondahl, and the audiobook keeps the argumentative energy that the print edition has. For England fans it is uncomfortable, which is what makes it useful.
Read by Byron Mondahl · Little, Brown Audio. Listen on Audible
Bounce — Matthew Syed
Matthew Syed on how talent is built rather than found, read by James Clamp – a short, sharp counterweight to a memoir built on one man’s talent and will.
It is the better book for a young player, and the better book to read first if the memoir leaves you frustrated.
Read by James Clamp · Harper. Listen on Audible
Open — Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi on the price of a career lived in the public eye, read by Erik Davies. It is eighteen hours and it is unflinching about what the lifestyle and the injuries took.
The passages on being a brand before being a player are uncomfortable, and they rhyme with the Pietersen story in ways neither book intends.
Read by Erik Davies · Random House Audio. Listen on Audible
The Analyst Inside Cricket — Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes on two decades inside cricket as player and broadcaster, covering selection, culture and the unglamorous machinery.
It is the palate cleanser after the memoir – no arguments, just how the place works.
Listen on Audible. Listen on Audible
Who it is for, and who it is not
**Buy it if** you want the controversies from the inside rather than the version that filtered through the newspapers.
**Expect it to be one-sided.** It is a memoir by a man who was in dispute with his employer, and he is not pretending otherwise.
**Best paired with something cooler.** The analysis books below provide the wider picture the memoir does not attempt.
How to get the most from it
The 2013-14 passages are the core of the book. If your interest is the cricket, those are the chapters worth the time.
The Ashes sections are the most readable part; the board and media sections need more patience.
Give it a long listen rather than sampling – the argument builds.
Common questions
Is the KP audiobook worth it? If you want his version of a very public row, yes. It is candid to a fault and reads more like a statement than a memoir.
How long does KP run? Around nine hours, read by Byron Mondahl.
Does Pietersen read it himself? No – the narration is by Byron Mondahl.
Is it the same as the print edition? The audiobook is the full autobiography rather than an abridged version.
What else should I listen to? Bounce for the practice argument, Open for the cost of a public career, and The Analyst Inside Cricket for the professional game.
Written by the CricketGearGuru editorial team. Links above are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy through them. It does not change the price, and it does not change the opinion.
