Kevin Pietersen says he is a “completely different person” having returned to the England cricket set-up following his infamous fallouts during his storied playing career with the team.
Pietersen represented England 277 times across all formats during his playing days, but was sacked in 2014 and has since been disconnected from the side for more than a decade after the ECB accused him of failing to support captain Sir Alastair Cook following the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
He was also dropped in 2012 after sending texts to the South African team, and since retiring has been a vocal critic of England, accusing the white-ball team of poor preparation ahead of last January’s tour of India.
Having recently returned to the England set up as a specialist on the white-ball coaching staff, Pietersen is keen to offer his talents and experience to the current crop of England stars.
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Harry Brook shares his thoughts on Kevin Pietersen’s impact on England’s white-ball side
“I’m 46, man. That stuff’s so long gone. I’m a completely different person too,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky to have worn every t-shirt an England cricketer can wear; the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are parts to all of their careers, which I think that I could potentially help them to stay away from the ugly.
“I’m in the two ears, one mouth phase. I listen twice as much as I talk. I’ve seen a lot, I’ve done a lot, and I want to be the best guy in the room for these guys,
“(White ball head coach McCullum) loves being challenged on different opinions. Whether he uses it or not, that’s up to him. He is the head coach. I’m not sitting here wanting to be the coach of England. He’s the coach of England. If I can help him, in his journey, in his pursuit, in our pursuit, to be competitive next year then it’s a win.”
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Highlights from Southampton as England thumped Sri Lanka by 119 runs in the first T20 international of the three-match series thanks to Harry Brook’s century
Pietersen joined the coaching staff ahead of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka and will serve as a specialist mentor through to the 2027 Cricket World Cup in Africa.
Recalling his first conversation with McCullum, he said: “I thought I was in trouble,” he said of his first conversation with Brendon McCullum. “‘What have I done now? Why is he calling me?’
“We talked about how critical I had been of the setup. It took a couple of weeks of conversations with him to be able to convince me that it was something that I wanted to do because the perception wasn’t actually the reality that I now know, about what is in that dressing room. These guys are really, really driven.
“It’s amazing to be back in an England dressing room and it’s amazing to be back with these guys. They are very, very eager to learn. They want to be the best versions of themselves.”
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Speaking ahead of England first T20 international against Sri Lanka, Eoin Morgan and Kumar Sangakkara have their say on what we can expect from Kevin Pietersen after he was brought onto England’s coaching staff.
Pietersen also suggested there is a chance he could contribute to England’s red ball activity when new Test coach Stephen Fleming leads his team into next year’s Ashes.
“I’ve got a pretty mad schedule, (but) I wouldn’t say no,” he explained.
“I have had a conversation with Stephen, but I don’t think that necessarily means that I need to be in a dressing room. There’s a lot of time in the lead up to an Ashes series. There’s a lot of time in the lead up to the tour of South Africa, where I’m going to be with the Test players, the Test batters in Australia, and there’s conversations that can be had there.
“I’ve certainly had conversations with Flem, who I absolutely love, about language that he would like me to use with the Test batters, going into South Africa, and then certainly into the summer next year. I just don’t think I can commit to a lot more time.”
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