Pietersen is one of England’s most successful white-ball batters, being named player of the tournament when they won the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2010.
The right-hander scored almost 4,500 ODI runs at an average of 41.32 – bettered only by Joe Root – while in T20 cricket he has the highest average of all batters to hit more than 1,000 runs for England.
He did, however, fall out with a number of former England players and coaches during his career.
He was accused of being “divisive” in the dressing room and was dropped during a Test series against South Africa in 2012 for sending “provocative” text messages to opposing players, for which he apologised to then captain Andrew Strauss.
He was only allowed to return to the team after a successful ‘reintegration’ period.
Pietersen was also one of the first to advocate for England players being allowed to play in the Indian Premier League and other white-ball franchise leagues around the world – a stance which often put him at odds with his employers.
Since retiring, Pietersen has enjoyed a successful career as a commentator and content creator while he has mentored in the Indian Premier League for Delhi Capitals.
“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.
“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.”
Pietersen spoke about his coaching ambitions earlier in 2026,, external after England’s 4-1 Ashes hammering in Australia.
Though this role is with the white-ball teams, he said he would “love” to help coach the Test side, telling the Guardian he has “got all the credentials” and has “worn every single T-shirt”.
Hinting at his approach, he added: “In the shortest form of the game, sure, play without fear, go out there, be brave, be reckless, be careless, be whatever you want. In Test match cricket, you cannot do that.”
