'Some powerful, big egos': Vaughan points 'only issue' in Pietersen's selection as England mentor

New Delhi: Former England captain Michael Vaughan reacted to former batter Kevin Pietersen taking on the role of England's white-ball mentor, but cautioned about the "only issue" he saw in the shock announcement.

In a surprising move, Pietersen was named a 'specialist mentor' for the white-ball sides, which will see the South Africa-born work with the English team through to the World Cup in southern Africa.

Vaughan believed that Pietersen would do a "really good job" but cautioned about ego issues, given that the English coaching staff included some bigwigs. "The one thing that I know from Kevin Pietersen and my time playing and captaining him, he was an ultra professional, a brilliant player, world class," Vaughan told BBC Radio 5. "He’s done a bit of mentoring with Delhi in the IPL. He’s passionate about the game.

"The only issue I have is that there are some quite powerful, big egos within that coaching set-up. I don’t see any other team in the world that has such a famous, if you like, coaching set-up. Baz McCullum, Kevin Pietersen, we’ve got Stephen Fleming in the Test team, you add into that Marcus Trescothick. There are some really big names.

"I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m just interested to know the dynamic down the line. In terms of knowledge and what he can pass on to the players, I have absolutely no doubt that he’ll do a really good job," he added.

Meanwhile, former England fast bowler James Anderson was also taken aback by the Pietersen appointment but felt he can provide the team with knowledge in big games.

"The KP I played with was an innovator; he was fearless, he was a winner," said Anderson. "He knew how to win big games and won a World Cup. That sort of character will rub off on people. He’ll be a big help and encourage people to think outside the box with their batting.

"As a player, he trained as hard as anyone, both fitness-wise and skills-wise, but he had that ability to go on the field and have that flair. He was a winner. He just wanted to win; he wanted to score big runs in big games. He loved the big occasion, and hopefully that can rub off on the guys who might not have experienced a World Cup before," he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]