Kevin Pietersen is watching Jordan Cox practise his driving throughout the current white-ball collection in opposition to Sri Lanka, and latches on to an error with the form of perfectionism that helped make him some of the harmful batsmen on this planet.
‘You need to be aggravated you hit that again to the bowler,’ Pietersen tells him. ‘Such a straightforward 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 trend – the self-doubt barely computes. ‘Don’t fear about it,’ he says. ‘You’re a very good 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 getting ready the group for the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa in a 12 months’s time.
Pietersen speaks solely when he thinks it’s essential – a departure, some may argue, from his enjoying profession – and is unafraid to problem. Cox, not often in need of self-belief himself, appears virtually awestruck to be receiving a non-public tutorial from a cricketer he grew up idolising.
‘He’s the most effective, if not the greatest, for speaking to the gamers about batting and how you can assemble an innings,’ Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of males’s cricket, tells Each day Mail Sport.
Kevin Pietersen spent ‘two fantastic weeks’ working with the England white-ball groups on the again finish of the summer season
Pietersen with England white-ball captain Harry Brook (centre) and new Check coach Stephen Fleming. ‘I’ll by no means attempt to take the aptitude and genius out of Harry,’ Pietersen says
‘A whole lot are massive issues in 50-over cricket, and he was a run-scorer. He was the most effective at figuring out what the opposition had been attempting to do with him, then discovering a technique to rating. Plus, he’s forthright, and each Baz and I get pleasure from that.’
Eyebrows had been raised when it emerged that McCullum had contacted Pietersen, who had been overtly vital of the white-ball groups’ angle to coaching throughout a tour of India in early 2025. Pietersen was stunned too. When he noticed McCullum’s cell quantity flash up, an previous reflex kicked in: ‘What have I performed improper now?’
However McCullum was much less taken with 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 group – 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 section’.
So eager was Pietersen to renew relations with a dressing room he left amid pressure and name-calling after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash that he even introduced ahead his involvement: the ECB hadn’t anticipated him to be accessible 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 may chip in in opposition to Sri Lanka.
‘He’s not doing it for the cash,’ says Key. ‘He may earn much more than the every day fee we’re paying him. The factor is, he completely loves it. There are technical coaches, and coaches who’ve performed it themselves on the pitch, and he’s each.’
The mantra Pietersen has been utilizing behind the scenes is straightforward: ‘Prepare exhausting, play straightforward.’ Armed with a punishing work ethic, he expects nothing much less of his expenses, and he has been stuffed with concepts, often 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, through 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 aspect, regardless of the place the ball pitches, with a view to enhancing judgment of size.
‘He’s not doing it for the cash,’ says England boss Rob Key. ‘He may earn much more than the every day fee we’re paying him. The factor is, he completely loves it’
And he has been sensible sufficient to tailor his recommendation. When he advised Ben Duckett to work on his sport in opposition to 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 in opposition to Sri Lanka on the Oval, he has labored on angle.
‘Whenever you’re up, you’re not sky-high, whenever you’re down, you’re not down within the dumps,’ he advised Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports activities. ‘It’s about being a relentless particular person within the dressing room. I’ve hung out with Bants: 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 regardless of that Brook might be the world’s greatest all-format batsman. Being held to a better normal than his team-mates is a praise bordering on a curse that Pietersen understands solely too nicely.
‘With these brainfade moments, it’s as a result of generally you see the sport otherwise,’ he mentioned. ‘The followers have to grasp 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 threat. One factor I’m working actually exhausting 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 taken with golf and chilling.
As one supply places it: ‘KP made assumptions. Now he’s on the within loving the controversy and fizzing with concepts, virtually Tiggerish. He and Baz have a very good relationship, however KP is obvious about who’s the boss. He’s not treading on anybody’s toes, and he loves being a part of a group once more.’
Those that adopted his electrical 104-Check profession, the ups in addition to the downs, could also be holding their breath, and he stays a robust persona. ‘The very best factor about this,’ he advised a BBC interviewer with half a smile, ‘is I’ve no accountability listening to and studying your garbage.’
‘He and Baz have a very good relationship, however KP is obvious 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 group subsequent summer season forward of the World Cup
After his preliminary fortnight with England – ‘two fantastic 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 group subsequent summer season forward of the World Cup.
Inevitably, he has been requested whether or not he may lengthen his mentorship to the Check aspect, however he has performed down that risk, citing the additional scrutiny – ‘that’s not the world I need to reside in’ – and his commitments away from the sport.
And but, by the point the Ashes come spherical subsequent summer season, solely Root could have had any expertise of beating Australia.
Pietersen, however, tasted collection wins in opposition to the Aussies 4 occasions. We could but be in for one more shock.
