Kevin Pietersen's new mentorship role with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) faces complications following his commercial deal with online betting company Dafabet. The former England batter announced his association with the Philippines-based operator on Monday.
Appointed England's specialist white-ball mentor on September 7, 2026, Pietersen will work under head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. He scored 8,181 runs in 104 Tests, 4,440 runs in 136 ODIs and 1,176 runs in 37 T20Is during his international career.
Kevin Pietersen Assures ECB He Will Not Promote Dafabet on Duty
According to The Guardian, Kevin Pietersen has assured the ECB that he will not promote Dafabet while working with England. His contract with the ECB covers around 150 days over the next 13 months.
Pietersen will miss England's upcoming 50-over tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka but is expected to take part in the winter tours of Australia and South Africa. He is also scheduled to work with the team during next summer's home white-ball fixtures against Pakistan and New Zealand.
Dafabet announced Pietersen as its Global Brand Ambassador on Monday. His pledge to suspend promotional activities during England assignments could make it difficult to meet the terms of the deal alongside his international commitments.
ECB's Anti-Gambling Rules and Brydon Carse's Ban Amid Kevin Pietersen's Deal
The ECB maintains strict anti-corruption rules that prohibit cricket participants from betting on matches or encouraging others to gamble. The board does not accept advertising revenue from betting companies and will ban The Hundred franchises from signing gambling sponsorship deals from next year.
County clubs that receive commercial income from gambling companies must also demonstrate that they reinvest the proceeds in infrastructure projects or community programmes.
The ECB's anti-corruption code specifically prohibits participants from:
“directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging, facilitating or authorising any other party to enter into a bet in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any match or competition.”
The board has previously taken disciplinary action against players who breached its betting rules. England fast bowler Brydon Carse received a 16-month ban, with 13 months suspended, two years ago after an investigation found that he had placed 303 bets on cricket matches between 2017 and 2019.
Kevin Pietersen's Deal Follows Brendon McCullum's 22Bet Controversy
The ECB has faced similar questions over Brendon McCullum's commercial links with betting companies. In 2023, the England head coach became an ambassador for Cyprus-based operator 22Bet and promoted its Indian Premier League (IPL) betting markets on Facebook and YouTube.
The ECB investigated McCullum's promotional activities and concluded that he had not breached its anti-corruption code. However, McCullum later ended his partnership with the company to avoid further complications.
Kevin Pietersen's situation differs because 22Bet was licensed offshore in Curaçao, while Dafabet holds a licence to operate in the United Kingdom. The ECB must now decide whether Pietersen's pledge not to promote the company during England duties is sufficient to address the potential conflict.
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