Key Takeaways
- England Test captain Joe Root supports Kevin Pietersen’s appointment as specialist mentor.
- Pietersen, England’s third-highest run-scorer, will mentor white-ball teams for the 2027 World Cup.
- Root believes Pietersen’s experience will benefit the current squad.
England Test captain Joe Root has expressed his support for Kevin Pietersen’s return to the national cricket setup as a specialist mentor for the white-ball teams.
Pietersen, who has scored 13,779 runs across all formats for England, was appointed to this role on Monday, with the aim of preparing the team for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
Root, who played alongside Pietersen before his England career ended in 2014, believes that Pietersen’s experience and knowledge will be valuable for the current squad.
‘A lot of the guys would have watched him and got into the game because of him. It will be great for those guys to have the opportunity to work alongside him,’ Root told BBC Sport.
Root dismissed concerns over Pietersen’s outspoken nature, stating that the current environment is well placed to benefit from his expertise.
‘When you get someone involved you want them to be themselves and you want them to come into an environment for a reason. With his experience and knowledge about the game, and all that he can offer, I think he’s going to be great,’ Root said.
‘The world is a very different place to what it was in 2014, and the England team is in a very different place to that as well.’
Pietersen will join Brendon McCullum’s coaching staff for next week’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka, working alongside Marcus Trescothick, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel, and Sarah Taylor.
A lot of the guys would have watched him and got into the game because of him. It will be great for those guys to have the opportunity to work alongside him.
Joe Root, England Test captain
When you get someone involved you want them to be themselves and you want them to come into an environment for a reason. With his experience and knowledge about the game, and all that he can offer, I think he’s going to be great.
Joe Root, England Test captain
