Kevin Pietersen 'a completely different person' as he takes England white-ball mentor role — and eyes Ashes involvement

Kevin Pietersen says he is “a completely different person” as the former England batter begins a mentoring role with England’s white-ball teams — and hinted he could also help the Test side ahead of next year’s Ashes.

Pietersen, 46, whose international career ended after the 2014 Ashes whitewash in Australia, has been brought back by limited-overs head coach Brendon McCullum as a specialist mentor in the run-up to the 50-over World Cup in South Africa. He has already been working with the squad during the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, PA reported.

Reflecting on the past, Pietersen said: “I’m 46, man. That stuff’s so long gone. I’m a completely different person too.” He added that he had “worn every t-shirt an England cricketer can wear; the good, the bad, and the ugly” and could help players steer clear of the ugly.

The former batter, who represented England 277 times across all formats, has never hidden his belief in his methods, telling The Times: “There was a lot of method in my madness. Sometimes, in this new set-up, I don’t see method, I just see madness.”

Pietersen stressed his post is not full-time but would not rule out helping the Test batters. “I’ve got a pretty mad schedule, (but) I wouldn’t say no,” he said, adding that he had spoken to new Test coach Stephen Fleming about helping England tune up for next year’s Ashes and the tour of South Africa.