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.
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“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.”
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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.”
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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’re not there yet. 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. You go to a World Cup, you got to do it time and time and time again over a long period of time. So that’ll be a focus for us over the next little while.
Pietersen: Brook finds game ‘too easy’ at times
McCullum and Pietersen also both singled out white-ball captain Harry Brook, specifically, for praise.
Brook, despite being vice-captain, was overlooked for the Test captaincy in favour of Joe Root when Ben Stokes retired, but continues to impress in the white-ball role.
“I think he’s an outstanding tactician, he’s growing as a leader and maturing as a person – and doing it at rapid speed,” McCullum said.
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“Tactically he’s outstanding; he’s very much the leader of the side. The boys respect him immensely, and not just for his cricket brain but the way he creates the right environment.
“It’s like a group of mates playing together, which is which is plain to see when when you watch them play out in the middle.”
With the bat against Sri Lanka, Brook notched two half-centuries in the ODI series to go with a 42-ball hundred – England’s joint-second-fastest – in the opening T20I.
That innings saw Brook hailed as an “absolute freak” by Ben Stokes, who took to social media to say that, in his opinion, the Yorkshireman’s ability outstrips that of Pietersen.
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But as well as being capable of achieving the incredible, both Brook and Pietersen have had their share of percieved ‘brain fade’ moments.
Addressing that similarity, Pietersen said: “Looking back at my career, the brain fade moments happen because sometimes you see the game differently. And that’s what the fan and the spectator needs to understand… Harry Brook is a player that sees the game differently.
“There are times when Harry Brook stands at the wicket and he goes, ‘This is too easy.’
“The one thing that I’m working really hard with Brooky, and will continue to work hard on, is just being better at assessing game situations.
“I will never in my life try and take the flair and that genius out of him.”