Kevin Pietersen has promised to challenge England white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum in his new role as a specialist mentor to the team, saying it's precisely why he was brought in. Since retiring as a player in 2018, Pietersen has, at times, been an outspoken critic of the England setup, including when accusing the white-ball team of inadequate preparation on a tour of India last January after McCullum had just taken over. Pietersen's work with England began with a 3-0 T20 series whitewash of Sri Lanka, before the hosts then also clinched a 2-1 ODI series success over the same side on Sunday.
His role with the team will continue through to the 2027 50-over World Cup in just over a year's time. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "Brendon, when he first called me, I thought I was in trouble because I'd said something, but he said this exact point: 'I'd like you to come in and challenge me,'" Pietersen told Sky Sports Cricket ahead of England's series-clinching 223-run win over Sri Lanka at The Oval. "He's since said to me: 'I absolutely love the fact that you are inside the rooms and you are picking on things that can make the players better.' "And at the end of the day, if we can't do that as a coach, try and challenge players to be the best versions of themselves, I think we're letting them down because these guys are too good." Pietersen added on his coaching approach: "No stone unturned.
There are a few things I don't like. There are many things that I do like, and I think if we can get that balance right, I think that these guys are going to be very, very good. "That messaging and that constant drive to be the best version of themselves is something that we're drilling down on.
"It's been a brilliant period to understand what actually is happening inside that dressing room. There's a crazy amount of talent up there." McCullum was similarly bullish about his hopes for the 50-over side, specifically with a World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in a year's time. The T20 team have won 22 of their past 25 completed T20 internationals since the start of last summer, assuming the No 1 spot in the world rankings as a result, and McCullum wants similar for the ODI team, currently sixth in the standings.
"I've also found that with a little bit of extra time, I've been able to drill down on some aspects of where you want to take this team and how you want to shape it," McCullum, who was removed as England Test coach earlier this summer, told Sky Sports Cricket. "At the time, I was very comfortable doing it all [Test and white-ball jobs]. Change happens and my focus now is on how to make this side the best white-ball team in the world.
We've got a lot of growth within us and a lot of improvement to make, but there's a determination within the dressing room to be the best team in the world. "I want us to become the strongest, fastest and most robust cricket teams in the world, one that can play at a high-octane speed. "The performance we saw today [against Sri Lanka] was brilliant.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
