Joe Root welcomes Pietersen return to England setup

England Test captain Joe Root backed Kevin Pietersen’s return to the national setup, saying the team was in a very different place from the one the batting great left amid acrimony more than a decade ago.

Pietersen, England’s third-highest run-scorer across all formats with 13,779 runs, was appointed specialist mentor to the white-ball teams on Monday as part of preparations for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.

Root, who played alongside Pietersen before his England career ended in 2014, said the 46-year-old’s experience and knowledge would benefit a squad featuring players who grew up watching him.

“A lot of the guys would have watched him and got into the game because of him.

It will be great for those guys to have the opportunity to work alongside him,“ Root told BBC Sport. Pietersen’s England career ended after the team’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia, amid reported tensions within the dressing room and between the batter and team management.

Root dismissed concerns over Pietersen’s outspoken nature, saying the current environment was well placed to benefit from his expertise.

“When you get someone involved you want them to be themselves and you want them to come into an environment for a reason.

With his experience and knowledge about the game, and all that he can offer, I think he’s going to be great,“ Root said.

“You’re looking at so many hypothetical things that could go wrong, when there are so many amazing things he will bring to that environment.

“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.”

Pietersen will join Brendon McCullum’s coaching staff for next week’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka, working alongside Marcus Trescothick, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel and Sarah Taylor.