Captain Harry Brook says relying on a mentor of Kevin Pietersen’s caliber will only help continue the growth trajectory of England’s white-ball teams.
Pietersen, regarded as one of the greatest hitters of the 21st century, has been thrust into England’s white-ball line-up in a mentoring role by coach Brendon McCullum in the build-up to next year’s 50 World Cup.
Brook highlighted the impact Pietersen already had on the squad, both on and off the field, with the team’s approach to playing spin already addressed in a masterclass from the former England captain.
“PK has been very good,” Brook said at a press conference. “He is enjoying the role, he is enjoying himself.
“He’s been good to hang around, a little chat here and there. Away from the game, sat down for a coffee and a chat about how he sees the game and how he thinks it should be played.
“He was a hero to a lot of us growing up, so it’s great to have someone of his caliber around.”
In the masterclass, Brook added: “A lot of it was about choosing the length of the spin. That’s the key to dealing with spin and being able to spin the shot as well as possible.
“In ODI cricket this is one area that we probably need to improve as a side. It can make a massive difference to winning cricket matches.
“He (Pietersen) was a devilish anti-spin player, along with (Joe) Root and (Marcus) Trescothick. They were very good spin players, so it’s about picking their brains and asking them what worked for them and putting that into your game.”
“High Octane Cricket”
England, fresh from a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka that lifted them to the top of the T20 world rankings, face Sri Lanka again in their first ODI since joining Pietersen.
The three-game series begins in Durham on Tuesday, live Sky Sportsand Brook has challenged England to maintain their momentum.
“We can take a lot of confidence from being unbeaten in T20s,” Brook said.
“Going into this ODI series, we want more of the same. We are trying to play a higher octane style of cricket and put them (the opposition) under pressure with bat and ball.
“We want to be one of the strongest teams in the world. To do that, we have to work hard on and off the pitch.
“We’re trending in the right direction. There are a few touches here and there that we can improve on.”
Brook – better than Pietersen?
Brook was hailed as an “absolute freak” by Ben Stokes as he hit a 42-ball penny, England’s second-fastest in T20Is, to pave the way for a 119-run victory in the T20 series opener against Sri Lanka in Southampton.
Multiple matches were played in front of England legend Pietersen and were commented on by Stokes, who took to social media to say that, in his opinion, the Yorkshireman’s ability surpasses that of Pietersen.
Asked to comment on Stokes’ assessment, Brook said: “Those are his thoughts. I’m just trying to stay in the moment and the present as much as possible.
“It’s good for KP to work together and pick his brain. There are a lot of good players in the squad to talk about cricket, different surfaces and different styles of players playing. I’m trying to learn as much as I can.”
England change three for Sri Lanka’s opener
England have made three changes to the squad which secured a 2-1 ODI series win over India with a 27-run victory at Lord’s on July 19.
Tom Banton replaces Jacob Bethell up front, Jamie Overton is established in an all-round role in Sam Curran’s absence, while Rehan Ahmed replaces the injured Adil Rashid.
England team will play Sri Lanka in the first ODI
England XI: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Watch the first one-day international of the three-match series between England and Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 12pm on Tuesday (first ball 12.30pm). The latest Sky Sports offers OR transmission without contract in TANI.
Results and matches England – Sri Lanka
All time UK and Ireland; all matches live on Sky Sports
