Glen Waverley's Central Reserve was the setting for Pietersen's Premier Cricket cameo with Monash Tigers against St Kilda on Saturday. A crowd of about 600 attended, for which Monash captain Allan Wise was appreciative despite his suspicion "most of them are only here to see one person". It was Pietersen's first club-level match since his stint with Sydney University in 2001-02.

That St Kilda batted first in the Twenty20 match ensured a healthy crowd remained there for most of the match, which ended in a tie - each team made 139 - as the Tigers unsuccessfully chased a second run off the final ball of the match.

Pietersen, who had not met any of his teammates until he arrived for the match, was mainly deployed as an outfielder. The shift in standards compared to the last time he played in Australia, in January for England on the SCG, was evident in the young children who ran beyond the boundary between overs for an autograph, to which Pietersen obliged.

Monash unsurprisingly opened with Pietersen, partnering him with former Victoria and Melbourne Renegades all-rounder Will Sheridan.

Pietersen's confident start to his innings, slashing right-arm seamer Dan Mueller through backward point to the boundary, was in contrast to the jitters that followed.

Left-armer Blade Baxter, an apprentice carpenter who turned 22 on Friday, should have been given a great belated birthday present when Pietersen edged his fourth delivery towards the midriff of Beer at first slip. The drop, on four, gave him a life, which the Stars would have been grateful for, given Pietersen's lack of match practice.

The dot balls that followed seemed to frustrate the right-hander, who attempted to hit his way out of trouble. One attempted heave off Baxter saw him edge over slips, while another to deep mid-wicket provided a tough chance that the back-pedalling fielder was not able to get his hands to.

From that point Pietersen began to settle. A few singles allowed him to rotate the strike. He then showed his prowess for placement, rather than just power, by driving left-arm spinner Beer to the extra-cover boundary in the gap between outfielders.

"I haven't played cricket since August so I was happy to get through that [early stint], then for the next 25 runs I felt brilliant, felt fantastic. It's a good sign," he said.

The 36-degree heat seemed to be affecting Pietersen, who until recently had been enduring an English winter.

After flicking a low full toss on leg stump to the boundary behind square-leg he steered his next shot straight into the hands of cover, giving 21-year-old left-armer Jak Jowett a wicket to savour for years to come. He departed to warm applause from the crowd after his innings of 41 off 31 deliveries, and was swamped for autographs and selfies once he had returned from the dressing rooms.

"I was goosed after a couple of overs there running in this heat. On Monday I was in 2 degrees," he said. "It's a big change - but it's nice. It's conditioning. That's why I played."

Wise, a 35-year-old paceman who played in Victoria's 2003-04 Sheffield Shield triumph, commended Pietersen on the way he carried himself in his one-off appearance for Monash.

"He was good: quiet, fitted in really well ... he was excellent," Wise said of the 34-year-old England exile. "He was quietly spoken, but really just got around the boys. I think everyone really, really enjoyed themselves."

Pietersen said he appreciated the warm way he had been treated in Australia since his arrival on Monday.

"I'm loving it. It's different, it really is different," he said. "Over the past four or five days people have been absolutely fantastic - a lot different to when I was here 12 months ago."

The right-hander is expected to feature in the Stars practice match on Sunday, at their family day at Casey Fields, and against a Premier Cricket All-Stars line-up on Monday in preparation for the team's BBL-opening match on Thursday, away to Adelaide.