Kevin Pietersen makes shock return to England cricket set-up as World Cup mentor
The former England captain's return comes 12 years after the controversial end of his playing career
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Kevin Pietersen will rejoin England’s ranks after accepting a white-ball coaching role – a dozen years after his international playing career came to a controversial end.
The former England captain has been appointed as a specialist mentor to the ODI and T20 teams in the build-up to next year’s 50-over World Cup and he will get stuck into his new role in a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka from next week.
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Pietersen is regarded as one of England’s greatest batters of the 21st century and was instrumental in their 2005 Ashes win, with his hundred on the last day at the Oval securing a seminal 2-1 triumph.
His England playing days came to a much-publicised bitter end after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash Down Under although he has now been welcomed into the fold by Brendon McCullum, the white-ball head coach whose time in charge of the Test side ended this summer.
“I am immensely proud to have been asked to help this team on their journey to win a World Cup in South Africa,” Pietersen said.
“Putting on the England uniform again for the first time since 2014 is a profound honour and a deeply special moment.
“We have an incredibly talented white-ball squad and I am excited to get in the trenches and work relentlessly hard with these players to maximise their potential.
“To be a part of Brendon’s think tank over the next 12 months is a fantastic opportunity, and I cannot wait to get started.”