Portugal Colonial - Pietersen joins England coaching team ahead of World Cup

The former England captain will be part of Brendon McCullum's coaching group for the upcoming T20 and one-day international series at home to Sri Lanka later this month, as well as subsequent series.

The 50-over World Cup is being held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 2027.

Pietersen, 46, played 136 ODIs and 37 T20 matches for England, scoring more than 5,500 runs. He also scored 8,181 runs in his 104 Test matches.

The South Africa-born batter was also a divisive player, falling out with a number of players and coaches. His international career came to a bitter end after England suffered an Ashes whitewash in Australia in 2013/14.

"I am immensely proud to have been asked to help this team on their journey to win a World Cup in South Africa," said Pietersen, who has worked as a mentor for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

"Putting on the England uniform again for the first time since 2014 is a profound honour and a deeply special moment. We have an incredibly talented white-ball squad, and I am excited to get in the trenches and work relentlessly hard with these players to maximise their potential."

England white-ball head coach McCullum said: "I've got immense respect for KP and what he's achieved in the game. He's had an amazing impact on English cricket, so for someone with his experience, knowledge and stature to want to play a role with this team is a fantastic result."

P.Queiroz--PC