Joe Root has insisted Kevin Pietersen should continue to be outspoken when his former England team-mate joins the national side’s white-ball coaching staff.
Pietersen was on Monday appointed as a ‘specialist mentor’ for England’s white-ball teams in the run-up to next year’s ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
The 46-year-old will begin his tenure later this month during England’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
Root also said he thinks the side will benefit from Pietersen’s presence in the dressing room.
“I think it’ll be fine,” Root told a pre-match press conference on the eve of England’s bid for a series whitewash in the third and final Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.
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“You want people to give their honest opinion. Why would you get him (Pietersen) involved if you didn’t want him to tell you what he thinks and to give his insight into the game?
“The world is a very different place to what it was in 2014, and the England team is in a very different place to that as well. The group of players are very fortunate to get the chance to tap into his knowledge and experience.
“He’s got a very good understanding of batting, in particular, and he’s got a huge amount of energy. I think he’ll be great for the group and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
Incidentally, when Root walked out to bat on his Test debut against India in Nagpur in 2012, it was Pietersen who was his batting partner at the crease.
“I learnt a huge amount from him,” said Root. “He was someone I’d be shadowing all the time. That first tour of India, in particular, I would try and buddy up with him in the nets.
“He was really open, really honest, very helpful in terms of how to get the best out of my game against spin.
“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.”
Published on Sep 08, 2026
