Joe Root backs ‘always brilliant’ Pietersen to bring best out of England players

• Captain says he learned ‘huge amount’ from new mentor

• ‘I’m probably last to have played with him still going’

Joe Root has backed Kevin Pietersen to bring the best out of England’s players after the 46-year-old’s surprise appointment as a specialist mentor to the white-ball squad, saying he was “always brilliant” when the two played together towards the start of Root’s international career, a period in which he learned “a huge amount”.

Pietersen was in the team when Root made his Test debut as a 21-year-old in Nagpur in 2012, and the pair played alongside each other in 12 Tests in all before Pietersen was abruptly dropped in 2014. They also combined in nine ODIs, all in 2013.

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