Peter Kirsten was born in 1955 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa. He showed early promise as a cricketer and attended Selborne Primary School in East London. Notably, at the age of 10, he scored his first century in 1966. The following year, his family relocated to Cape Town, where he enrolled at South African College Schools (SACS), the oldest school in the country.
While attending SACS, Kirsten represented Western Province in both cricket and rugby at school level. Still a schoolboy, he debuted for Western Province in first-class cricket, scoring 74 runs in the second innings of his first match. In 1973, during the prestigious Nuffield Week, he was selected for the South African Schools team. In his debut match against Northern Transvaal, he scored a century, becoming only the fifth schoolboy to achieve this milestone at that time.
Kirsten furthered his education at Stellenbosch University, where he continued to develop as a cricketer. He played for South African Universities in 1976 and 1977, scoring centuries in both matches played during that period. In 1978, he played for Western Province against South African Universities, scoring another century. That same year, he turned professional, signing with Derbyshire in English county cricket.
From 1978 to 1982, Kirsten played for Derbyshire in 106 matches, accumulating 7,722 runs at an impressive average of 49.50. Concurrently, he continued to represent Western Province in South Africa, playing 133 matches and scoring 9,087 runs with an average of 41.88. He captained Western Province for three seasons, demonstrating leadership as well as performance.
| Birth Date: | 14 May, 1955 |
| Age: | 64 yrs |
| Occupations: | Rugby union player Cricketer |
| Citizenship: | South Africa |
| Birth Place: | Pietermaritzburg |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | South African cricketer and rugby union footballer |
| Net Worth 2021: | 15 million |
