Former Ashes and T20 World Cup-winning batter Kevin Pietersen is to join England Men’s white ball teams as a Specialist Mentor in the build-up to next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in southern Africa.
Pietersen will join up with Brendon McCullum’s white ball teams for the forthcoming Vitality IT20 and Metro Bank ODI series against Sri Lanka later this month, joining a coaching team which will also include Marcus Trescothick, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel and Sarah Taylor.
He will also be involved in this winter’s white ball tours to Australia and South Africa, before joining up with the teams again for the home series against Pakistan and New Zealand next summer, as well as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Over an international career spanning 10 years, Pietersen played 136 One Day Internationals and 37 T20 matches for England, scoring more than 5,500 runs. He also brings experience of scoring another 8,181 runs across his 104 Test matches.
He worked as a mentor for Delhi Capitals during the 2025 Indian Premier League, and will bring his wealth of experience to work with the teams and individual players over the next 15 months.
Having grown up in South Africa, Pietersen’s knowledge and understanding will particularly help the One Day International team as it prepares for next year’s World Cup which is being played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
England Men’s White Ball Head Coach Brendon McCullum said: “I’ve got immense respect for KP and what he’s achieved in the game. He’s had an amazing impact on English cricket, so for someone with his experience, knowledge and stature to want to play a role with this team is a fantastic result.
“I’m particularly excited for our batters to get the opportunity to work with him. KP has a unique understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level, which will be hugely valuable to our players. We’ve always respected each other and had a strong appreciation for what the other brings to the game, so I’m really looking forward to working together.”
Kevin Pietersen said: “I am immensely proud to have been asked to help this team on their journey to win a World Cup in South Africa. 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.”
