Table of Contents
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed former England captain Kevin Pietersen as the ‘Specialist Mentor’ for the England National Cricket white-ball team. He will work with head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the major tournament next year, which is the ODI World Cup 2027. England Test captain Joe Root has broke silence on Pietersen’s appointment as a mentor.
The Three Lions will be up against Pakistan for the third and final Test match on Wednesday at Edgbaston. They have already won the series after winning the first two matches of the series. Soon after that, they will be hosting the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team for a full white-ball series, with T20Is and then the same number of ODIs.
Joe Root opens up on Kevin Pietersen's appointment as mentor
On Tuesday, while speaking in the pre-match press conference, Joe Root shared his insights on Kevin Pietersen joining the England white-ball setup as a mentor. The Test captain believes that the former England batter’s appointment is good for the side, as Root has always enjoyed Kevin Pietersen as a senior player and the current captain is the only player in the squad to have played with him.
Root said, "Yeah, I'm probably the last player to have played with him still going. I really enjoyed him as a senior player."
Joe Root mentions how Kevin Pietersen helped him during first India tour
Root, while speaking to the media, recalled his first tour to India and how Kevin Pietersen helped him to play against spin in India, and he has been helpful all the time. The current captain believes that it is a good sign for the Three Lions that he has joined the coaching staff and it will benefit the team.
The England captain said, "Coming into the team, he was someone that I would spend, you know, I'd be shadowing all the time. That first tour of India in particular, I'd try and buddy up with him in the nets, watch how he practised, watch how he did things, ask him for advice. And he was really open, really honest, very helpful in terms of how to get the best out of my game against spin."
"And, you know, if he can offer that kind of stuff in a coaching capacity as he did as a senior player, then I think it's really going to benefit us as a group. So I'm really excited to work with him and, you know, get him in the environment."
"We are just looking after ourselves": Joe Root on England's preparation for 3rd Test against Pakistan
Joe Root, speaking further on the England vs Pakistan match, revealed that they are not looking at outside things as they focus on themselves. He believes that the turmoil in Pakistan coaching and player setup has not hampered their preparation, as they keep things simple.
"We are just looking after ourselves, to be honest. Trying to get across to the guys that have come into the squad, make sure that they are ready for how they are likely to play, how we can counter that both with bat and ball and look after our own house," Root said.
"We have had enough to deal with ourselves over the last little while. So just keep preparing well, making sure that we are fresh, ready to go, and we take that confidence forward in the next five days."
