Kevin Pietersen returns to England cricket setup as specialist mentor

Kevin Pietersen is asked, after everything that came before, what he would have said if told he would work for the England and Wales Cricket board again one day.

In 2014, he was sacked by the ECB in one of most ugly and acrimonious periods in English cricketing history – a period that brought one of the most exciting but divisive international careers to an end.

"What do you think I'd have said," Pietersen says with a smile.

Bigger stars in English cricket are harder to find.

This is the man who had a brief but high-profile relationship with American celebrity Caprice, married a pop star, Jessica from Liberty X, and once tried to explain cricket to Taylor Swift on The Graham Norton Show.

Back in the dressing room as a mentor, he is speaking to the media at Headingley - the location of his famous "it's tough being me" press conference.

The hair is greyer, but he still carries all of that aura.

"I'm 46, man," he says, asked whether animosity remains.

"That stuff is so long gone. I am a completely different person.

"I live in South Africa. I love doing what I do. I am just here to help Brendon first and foremost, help the players try and become the best versions of themselves."

Pietersen was the most intriguing of appointments to England's dressing room staff because of his own history, but also what he has said before.

While commentating on England's white-ball tour of India last year, he suggested the Brendon McCullum outfit were not training enough.

"Clearly the perceptions I had before being asked to do the job were completely different to what I feel now," he says.

"It is nice to being part of an England team and set-up that is actually really, really driven."

Pietersen answers every question with poise. Almost all are given and lengthy, considered responses.

His only terse response comes when pushed on what exactly those preconceptions were - and how quickly they took to disappear.

"You know what the preconceptions were," he says. "I am not going near it."

Despite that, he appears to be loving his return.

Pietersen is "not sitting here wanting to be the coach of England" but wants to help McCullum and the players, many of whom grew up idolising him.

One of those, Tom Banton, said last week he is still in awe of the four-time Ashes-winner, so much so he was struggling to build up the courage to speak to him.

"He wants a YouTube channel," Pietersen laughs. Pietersen, a 50-over great who played in a way ahead of his time, can also help him there.

His official title is "specialist mentor" and he will dip in and out to work with the white-ball teams through to the 50-over World Cup next autumn.

Before the first ODI in Durham, England posted a clip on social media of Pietersen leading a batting session.

Holding court, he had Joe Root and Rehan Ahmed alike involved in a batting drill on how to rotate the strike against spin.

"All I want to be is a great person to these guys," Pietersen says.

"I want to be the best guy in the room, so that they come to me, and they ask me for information, and if I've got stuff for them, I'll give it to them.

"I am lucky to have worn every T-shirt an England cricketer can wear – the good, the bad the ugly.

"I can potentially help them to stay away from the ugly."

Pietersen's eyes roll slightly when he is asked about Ben Stokes' recent comments comparing Harry Brook's talents to his.

Pietersen, like Brook, was a maverick – a batter capable of incredible highs. Those highs mean the lows come with a disproportionate level of criticism.

"Where I can help him is playing situations, because there was a lot of method in my madness," Pietersen says.

"Yes, occasionally, I got out to reckless shots and crazy shots in the '80s and '90s but there was a lot of structure to the way that I batted.

"I've still got notes on my phone on how I played in T20 cricket, one-day cricket, Test match cricket, and about hitting straight back at the stumps, and the techniques, and how I did it, and don't play certain shots.

"That all-round structure is something I could potentially help him with because he's so flipping good.

"It's actually frightening how good he is and how good he can be."

And Pietersen says he will not limit himself to working purely on white-ball cricket.

He has already spoken to new Test coach Stephen Fleming about how he can help the Test batters during his time with the white-ball squads.

Though he said he would not have time for a full-time role, he suggested he is open to working with the Test side before next summer's home Ashes series.

"I have got a pretty mad schedule," he says. "I wouldn't say no."

"I don't think that necessarily means I need to be in a dressing room."

"There is a lot of time in the lead up to an Ashes series and a tour of South Africa, when I will be with the Test batters."

"There are conversations I can have there."

Who knows how long this will last. England may as well make the most of this second chance.