Pietersen holds Ashes talks with England coach Fleming

Kevin Pietersen, fresh from joining England’s backroom staff after over a decade away, has spoken with test coach Stephen Fleming about helping the red-ball side ahead of the next Ashes series, but said his schedule makes a broader role unlikely.

The 46-year-old Pietersen, England’s third-highest run scorer across all formats, was appointed as a specialist mentor to the white-ball teams this month ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

“I’ve got a pretty mad schedule, (but) I wouldn’t say no,” Pietersen told reporters on Friday.

“I have had a conversation with Stephen but I don’t think that necessarily means that I need to be in a dressing room. There’s a lot of time in the lead-up to an Ashes series … and there are conversations that can be had there.

“I’ve certainly had conversations with Flem about language that he would like me to use with the test batters, going into South Africa, and then certainly into the summer next year. I just don’t think I can commit to a lot more time.”

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Pietersen also reflected on his return to the England fold more than a decade after his controversial departure from international cricket.

An explosive middle-order batter, he scored nearly 14,000 runs across all three formats for England, who last won the ODI World Cup in 2019 on home soil.

However, Pietersen’s England career ended controversially in 2014 in the aftermath of the 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia, amid reported tensions within the dressing room and between the batsman and team management.

Pietersen was the team’s top scorer in the series and, despite remaining keen to play for England, was told he was no longer part of the plans, bringing an acrimonious end to his international career.

“I’m 46, man. That stuff’s so long gone. I’m a completely different person too,” Pietersen said.

“I’ve been lucky to have worn every T-shirt an England cricketer can wear; the good, the bad and the ugly. There are parts to all of their careers which I think I could potentially help them stay away from the ugly.”

In Pietersen’s first series as part of the set-up, England completed a 3-0 whitewash of a spin-heavy Sri Lanka side to replace India at the top of the T20 world rankings.