Kevin Pietersen is watching Jordan Cox practise his driving throughout the current white-ball collection towards Sri Lanka, and latches on to an error with the type of perfectionism that helped make him one of the vital harmful batsmen on this planet.
‘You need to be irritated you hit that again to the bowler,’ Pietersen tells him. ‘Such a simple run. That’s the best single down the bottom. That’s the extent of depth you want within the nets.’
Cox accepts the criticism, and explains he was nervous of being bowled by way of the gate. For Pietersen – scorer of 32 worldwide tons of, typically in breathtaking style – the self-doubt barely computes. ‘Don’t fear about it,’ he says. ‘You’re participant.’
The vignette is typical of his involvement with England’s white-ball set-up ever since Brendon McCullum invited him on board as a mentor final month, with a view to making ready the crew for the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa in a 12 months’s time.
Pietersen speaks solely when he thinks it’s vital – a departure, some would possibly argue, from his taking part in profession – and is unafraid to problem. Cox, hardly ever wanting self-belief himself, seems to be virtually awestruck to be receiving a non-public tutorial from a cricketer he grew up idolising.
‘He’s among the best, if not the finest, for speaking to the gamers about batting and the way to assemble an innings,’ Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of males’s cricket, tells Every day Mail Sport.
Kevin Pietersen spent ‘two great weeks’ working with the England white-ball groups on the again finish of the summer time
Pietersen with England white-ball captain Harry Brook (centre) and new Take a look at coach Stephen Fleming. ‘I’ll by no means attempt to take the aptitude and genius out of Harry,’ Pietersen says
‘A whole bunch are huge issues in 50-over cricket, and he was a run-scorer. He was among the best at figuring out what the opposition had been attempting to do with him, then discovering a method to rating. Plus, he’s forthright, and each Baz and I take pleasure in that.’
Eyebrows had been raised when it emerged that McCullum had contacted Pietersen, who had been overtly vital of the white-ball groups’ perspective to coaching throughout a tour of India in early 2025. Pietersen was stunned too. When he noticed McCullum’s cell quantity flash up, an outdated reflex kicked in: ‘What have I carried out unsuitable now?’
However McCullum was much less all for his historical past of falling out with colleagues than he was in utilizing his razor-sharp cricket mind to rework the fortunes of England’s one-day crew – within the doldrums ever since lifting the 2019 World Cup, however this 12 months hinting at a restoration.
And England have been impressed. ‘I used to be anticipating somebody much more self-centred, however he’s in listening mode,’ says one insider, echoing Pietersen’s personal declare that ‘I’m nonetheless within the two-ears-one-mouth part’.
So eager was Pietersen to renew relations with a dressing room he left amid stress and name-calling after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash that he even introduced ahead his involvement: the ECB hadn’t anticipated him to be out there till subsequent month’s white-ball journey to Australia, however Pietersen juggled his busy calendar – together with his YouTube channel, The Swap, which has over 750,000 subscribers – to make sure he might chip in towards Sri Lanka.
‘He’s not doing it for the cash,’ says Key. ‘He might earn much more than the every day price we’re paying him. The factor is, he completely loves it. There are technical coaches, and coaches who’ve carried out it themselves on the pitch, and he’s each.’
The mantra Pietersen has been utilizing behind the scenes is straightforward: ‘Practice onerous, play straightforward.’ Armed with a punishing work ethic, he expects nothing much less of his costs, and he has been filled with concepts, frequently leaving voicenotes for McCullum, and not too long ago suggesting a 15-minute spin masterclass for all of the batsmen, which the ECB changed into social-media content material.
In it, he harked again to an train he had practised on a tour of India with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, by which the gamers pair off and bowl off-breaks to one another. The duty is to hit every little thing by way of the off facet, irrespective of the place the ball pitches, with a view to bettering judgment of size.
‘He’s not doing it for the cash,’ says England boss Rob Key. ‘He might earn much more than the every day price we’re paying him. The factor is, he completely loves it’
And he has been good sufficient to tailor his recommendation. When he informed Ben Duckett to work on his sport towards left-arm spin, Duckett steered the reverse-sweep. However Pietersen immediately outlawed the shot, telling him to hit straight.
With Tom Banton, who scored his first hundred for England throughout Sunday’s series-clinching win towards Sri Lanka on the Oval, he has labored on perspective.
‘If you’re up, you’re not sky-high, if you’re down, you’re not down within the dumps,’ he informed Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports activities. ‘It’s about being a continuing individual within the dressing room. I’ve frolicked with Bantz: consistency is the theme.’
Then there’s Harry Brook, who – like Pietersen earlier than him – is praised for his expertise as typically as he’s pilloried for his strategies of dismissal, and irrespective of that Brook might be the world’s finest all-format batsman. Being held to the next commonplace than his team-mates is a praise bordering on a curse that Pietersen understands solely too properly.
‘With these brainfade moments, it’s as a result of typically you see the sport in a different way,’ he stated. ‘The followers have to know that. There are occasions when Harry Brook stands on the wicket and says: “That is too straightforward.”
‘I’ll by no means criticise him for doing one thing he thinks isn’t an excessive amount of of a danger. One factor I’m working actually onerous with him on is conditions, however I’ll by no means attempt to take the aptitude and genius out of him.’
Pietersen has had his eyes opened by the rigour of England’s white-ball set-up, having beforehand believed it was extra all for golf and chilling.
As one supply places it: ‘KP made assumptions. Now he’s on the within loving the talk and fizzing with concepts, virtually Tiggerish. He and Baz have relationship, however KP is evident about who’s the boss. He’s not treading on anybody’s toes, and he loves being a part of a crew once more.’
Those that adopted his 104-Take a look at electrical profession, the ups in addition to the downs, could also be holding their breath, and he stays a powerful character. ‘The most effective factor about this,’ he informed a BBC interviewer with half a smile, ‘is I’ve no duty listening to and studying your garbage.’
‘He and Baz have relationship, however KP is evident about who’s the boss,’ says a supply
Pietersen will assist out throughout the tour of Australia in November and the one-day collection in South Africa in January, earlier than reconnecting with the crew subsequent summer time forward of the World Cup
After his preliminary fortnight with England – ‘two great weeks’, he calls it – he won’t go to Pakistan for this month’s ODI collection however will assist out throughout the tour of Australia in November and the one-day collection in South Africa in January, earlier than reconnecting with the crew subsequent summer time forward of the World Cup.
Inevitably, he has been requested whether or not he would possibly lengthen his mentorship to the Take a look at facet, however he has performed down that risk, citing the additional scrutiny – ‘that’s not the world I wish to stay in’ – and his commitments away from the sport.
And but, by the point the Ashes come spherical subsequent summer time, solely Root could have had any expertise of beating Australia. Pietersen, however, tasted collection wins towards the Aussies 4 occasions. We could but be in for an additional shock.
