Pietersen returns as England mentor with ODI series on the line
Kevin Pietersen is back with England. The 46-year-old has joined the white-ball teams, the limited-overs sides that play one-day and T20 cricket, as a specialist mentor. He outlined the job in an interview at Headingley published on 25 September The Guardian.
It was a noisy homecoming. England lost to Sri Lanka by 16 runs at Headingley, also on the county's famous Leeds ground. That defeat sends the three-match one-day series, 50 overs per side, to a decider at the Oval on Sunday.
Sri Lanka set it up with 321-6 from their 50 overs Reuters. Kusal Mendis made 121, the clear headliner of the innings. England chased hard and closed on 305-9. England had won the first match of the series by 89 runs, so the score is now 1-1.
Pietersen used the Headingley interview to set boundaries around his new post. The work is not full-time. "I'll be in and out," he said.
He also said his input could stretch beyond next year's 50-over World Cup in South Africa. That tournament is the next big target for England's one-day group. A short-term sounding board could yet become a longer stay.
The call came from Brendon McCullum. McCullum is now England's specialist white-ball coach and he rang Pietersen to start the conversation. Pietersen has also held talks with incoming Test coach Stephen Fleming and with Joe Root about some involvement around the Ashes, the long England-Australia Test rivalry.
It is a striking return. Pietersen was sacked as an England player in early 2014. More than a decade has passed since that break. McCullum, meanwhile, will stand down as England Men's Test head coach after four years in charge but continue to lead the white-ball teams ECB.
What makes this stand out is the fit. Pietersen was one of England's most aggressive batters in limited-overs cricket. He knows the squeeze of a climbing required run-rate, the maths that bends a chase. For fans heading to the Oval, this means a familiar face back in the huddle, but not on the teamsheet.
