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Cricket PlayersKevin Pietersen thought Brendon McCullum ‘was joking’ when he reached out for England job: ‘I have been critical of you’
Brendon McCullum spoke highly of Kevin Pietersen as he spoke about the latter's appointment as England's mentor for white-ball formats.
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Brendon McCullum, the England white-ball coach, confirmed on Monday that it was his idea to bring Kevin Pietersen on board as a mentor in the backroom staff until the ODI World Cup. Last week, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the legendary batter would join the setup for both ODIs and T20Is leading into the World Cup, set to be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Ever since Pietersen's appointment, cricket fans all over the world have been wondering how the dynamic between him and McCullum would play out. In 2025, the former England batter minced no words as he criticised the England head coach and how the team was under-prepared for the ODIs against India ahead of the Champions Trophy.
However, McCullum confirmed that there's no bad blood between the two and that he cannot wait to get started working with Pietersen.
Also Read: Kevin Pietersen ends 12-year England exile, joins white-ball coaching setup for World Cup push
“When I rang him the first time, I said, ‘Would you be interested in coming to work with England?’ He thought I was joking for a start. And then he sort of mentioned, I've been quite critical of you guys in the past. I said, I have no problem with that, mate. There are parts of it I agree with, and there are parts I won't agree with. And that's fine. That's what the beauty of Kev coming in. He's obviously got an incredible pedigree as a player. A lot of our guys grew up watching and idolising Kev when he was in his pomp as a player as well,” McCullum told reporters on Monday ahead of the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka.
“He's brought a ton of energy to the setup within the last 24 hours already. I've mentioned to him that I don't want him to just try and be buried in one specific skill set either. I want him to look across the environment and setup, and challenge me privately on ways we can improve or thingswe can do differently. Our relationship is good,” he added.
‘Respect’
McCullum said he has a good relationship with Pietersen and that the duo have mutual respect. Pietersen is no stranger to the mentor role, having previously been involved with the Delhi Capitals in the same capacity in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“It's full of respect. We play against each other and we've enjoyed spending the time together over the last little while or two. I'm super excited to have him. I know he's super excited to be here. The boys are buzzing, and I'm pleased that we can add such a strong resource to what's already a very, very strong coaching staff of mine,” said McCullum.
When pressed further whether he was the one who had the idea of bringing Pietersen on board and using his services as a coach, the head coach replied, “Yeah, it was my idea.”
“Hs work ethic is obviously second to none as well right throughout his career. When he's in on something, he's all in as well. I also think sometimes having someone who has a different take on things is no bad thing,” said McCullum.
