England’s white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum welcomed Kevin Pietersen’s arrival as a mentor in the setup, adding that the former captain’s past criticisms of the team would bring valuable perspective to a side implementing stricter off-field standards. Pietersen has joined the limited-overs coaching setup ahead of England’s series against Sri Lanka and brings high-profile international experience to a team recalibrating its disciplinary expectations following the omission of pace bowler Brydon Carse.
England’s white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum welcomed Kevin Pietersen’s arrival as a mentor in the setup, adding that the former captain’s past criticisms of the team would bring valuable perspective
There are parts of it I agree with, and parts which I won’t agree with, and that’s fine. He also confirmed that Pietersen immediately reinforced the squad’s need to maintain professional discipline during his first dressing-room address.
“When I rang him the first time and said, ‘Would you be interested in working with England? He mentioned, ‘I’ve been quite critical of you guys in the past,’ and I said, ‘I have no problem with that, mate. “He said we need to give ourselves every opportunity to try and get to the level and get to the achievements that we want to – and that includes a lot of the responsibilities that we make socially and off the field too.
I think he thought I was joking. That’s the beauty of Kev coming in. “I want him to look across the environment and challenge me privately around ways we can improve or things we can do differently. Having someone that has a different take on things is no bad thing. Kev will do that, and I’ve encouraged him to do that as well. The tightening of off-field standards comes alongside Carse’s ongoing exclusion across all formats following an arrest outside a Derby nightclub last month. McCullum warned that spots in the national team would depend on players maintaining professional standards off the pitch. Fleming will meet ECB officials, liaise with Test captain Joe Root, and join McCullum’s white-ball squad in Manchester ahead of the third T20I against Sri Lanka.
Our relationship is good; it’s full of respect,” McCullum told reporters on Monday. The tactical reset coincides with the arrival of Stephen Fleming, who arrived in the country on Monday to begin his tenure as England’s new Test head coach.
