"I'd have loved to play under them, I really would" - Kevin Pietersen feels he would have thrived in England's new era
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen believes the current approach employed by the management led by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes would have suited his style of play. The 42-year-old represented England in 104 Tests in a career spanning nine years, holding a strike rate of 61.72.
Following a 4-0 drubbing in the Ashes and a 1-0 series loss in the Caribbean, Joe Root opted to step down as captain, paving the way for Stokes to take charge.
The all-rounder's appointment, coupled with the arrival of Brendon McCullum as head coach of the Test team, led to England rewriting the way the game is being played.
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Murali is out of the park 🤠
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Branding himself as an admirer of "Bazball," Kevin Pietersen said in an interaction with The Cricketer:
"I love the way the team are playing now. It's exciting, it's positive and I think you'll see it bring the best out of the players. If I been given the trust the players in this team have been given under the new management, I would have felt free to play as I knew I did at my best. I'd have loved to play under them, I really would."
While he amassed 8181 runs in the longest format of the game at a healthy average of 47.29, Pietersen believes he would have scored more while playing a more positive brand of cricket.
He said:
"I can only imagine how much happier I would have been, how much better I would have been, playing under this management regime. I would have scored a load more runs. I would have scored so many more runs."
The flamboyant player's career in national colors came to an early end after a fallout with the team management following the 2013-14 Ashes. He continued to play franchise cricket before retiring from the game in 2018.
"I would be very happy to contribute in any way I can" - Kevin Pietersen on the prospect of joining England Test team coaching staff
I’m ALL IN on this New England Test Team! Let’s enjoy the ride! 🚀
England chose to employ an unorthodox approach after appointing two different coaches for red and white-ball cricket. Matthew Mott was chosen to guide the white-ball unit while McCullum took over the coaching duties in the longest format.
Expressing his desire to be a part of England's new era, Pietersen said:
"There's a lot of water under the bridge with me and England. But Rob Key is a good buddy. I speak to him and all the other guys. I would be very happy to contribute in any way I can."
The Ben Stokes-led side will next be seen in a home series against South Africa. The two sides will compete in an all-format tour, which includes three Tests as part of the World Test Championship (WTC).