Pietersen's England role means he rarly turns out for Hampshire

Pietersen, 27, joined Hampshire from Nottinghamshire in 2005 and is currently sixth in the world Test batting rankings.

"I get a really warm welcome from the Hampshire fans whenever I am at The Rose Bowl. I look forward to that continuing," he said.

"Hampshire are a great club with big ambitions - I want to be part of that."

Pietersen is a centrally contracted player with England and as a result, like the rest of his international team-mates, only spends a limited amount of time with his county.

But Hampshire cricket team boss Paul Terry said: "KP adds something special to the team whenever he plays for us.

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"His skills are an inspiration to our young players and I am delighted that he will be with the Hawks for another three years at least."

Club chairman Rod Bransgrove added: "KP is a true world-class talent and this is great news for all Hampshire fans.

"We don't see him quite as often as we would like but that's only because he continues to play so brilliantly in the international arena.

"We savour the times we have him in the Hampshire side and I'm certainly looking forward to him giving the opposition bowlers a rough ride here at The Rose Bowl on more than a few occasions next season."