Sports

England Bring Back Kevin Pietersen as Limited-Overs Mentor Ahead of World Cup

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Kevin Pietersen will return to the England setup as a specialist mentor for the men's limited-overs teams ahead of next year's Cricket World Cup in Africa, ending a 12-year absence from the international fold. Pietersen's England career came to an abrupt end following the team's 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia during the 2013-14 series, a result that led to coach Andy Flower losing his job and caused lasting friction between Pietersen, then-captain Alastair Cook, and other teammates. He never played for England again, continuing his career instead across various Twenty20 franchise leagues worldwide. Over his international career, Pietersen played 136 One Day Internationals and 37 T20 matches for England, scoring more than 5,500 runs in limited-overs cricket, in addition to 8,181 runs across 104 Test appearances. He was part of England's Ashes-winning and T20 World Cup-winning squads during his playing days. SEN Cricket commentator Bharat Sundaresan compared Pietersen's reintroduction to the England set-up to WWE star CM Punk's return to professional wrestling after a decade away. Speaking on the Stumps & Bumps podcast, Sundaresan said both figures possessed immense talent but often struggled with relationships within their respective teams. "As supremely talented as both of them are, they could not help but get under a lot of their teammates' skin - or in CM Punk's case, his colleagues in the dressing room and WWE at that point," he said. "It almost felt like it was beyond their control. You were always amazed by their talent, but every time they would rub people the wrong way." CM Punk left WWE in 2014 following a walkout after the Royal Rumble, later signing with the UFC. He competed twice in mixed martial arts without success before eventually returning to WWE in 2023. Since his comeback, Punk has had high-profile rivalries with Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens, won the World Championship three times, and headlined WrestleMania on two occasions. Sundaresan noted that Punk's return, initially met with skepticism, ultimately proved successful for all parties involved. He suggested a similar outcome could unfold for Pietersen, though some former players have already expressed reservations. "We all wondered how long it was going to be before it blew up between Punk and the office, but it's proved fruitful for all parties," Sundaresan said. "Hopefully it's the same for KP, but already we're seeing former England players like Michael Vaughan and Mark Ramprakash having their doubts about him, and he's barely put on an England coaching uniform yet. Pietersen - like CM Punk - is not shy of speaking his mind or clashing with authority, so this should be very interesting to see how it plays out."