Harry Brook has revealed the key area Kevin Pietersen has been working on with England’s white-ball batters since joining the team as a specialist mentor.
Pietersen was appointed as a specialist mentor for England’s ODI and T20I teams earlier this month, with his stint set to continue until next year’s ODI World Cup in South Africa. The former England batter brings significant experience of playing in South African conditions, while his record in white-ball cricket also makes him a valuable addition to the coaching setup.
Pietersen scored nearly 4,500 runs in 136 ODIs at an average of over 40, while his T20I record for England included an impressive strike rate of more than 140. He was part of the England camp during their recent 3-0 T20I series win over Sri Lanka and will continue to work with the side during the three-match ODI series against the same opposition.
England captain Brook said the players have enjoyed having Pietersen around and have benefited from his experience and insights.
“KP has been very good. He’s enjoying the role, he’s enjoying himself,”KP was quoted as saying by Independant.
“He’s been good to have around, little chats here and there. Away from the game, sat having a coffee and a chat about how he sees the game and how he thinks it should be played.”
Brook also admitted that Pietersen was a hero for many of the current England players while growing up.
“He was a hero to many of us growing up, so it’s good to have a man of his calibre in our side.”
Brook reveals Pietersen’s key advice
Brook revealed that one of Pietersen’s main areas of focus has been helping England improve their approach against spin, particularly when it comes to reading the length and rotating the strike.
“A lot of it was about picking the length of spin. That is key to facing spin and being able to rotate strike as well as possible.”
According to Brook, England need to improve in this area in ODI cricket, with the ability to play spin effectively potentially making a significant difference in close matches.
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“In ODI cricket that’s an area we probably need to improve as a side. It can make a massive difference to winning games of cricket.”
Brook also pointed to Pietersen’s own success against spin, while highlighting Joe Root and Marcus Trescothick as other England batters who excelled in that department.
“He [Pietersen] was a hell of a player against spin, alongside [Joe] Root and [Marcus] Trescothick. They were very good players at playing spin, so it’s about picking their brains and asking them what worked for them and putting that into your game.”
