South African-born Kevin Pietersen has promised the ECB he will keep his gambling endorsement deal away from his England coaching role.
South African-born Kevin Pietersen has moved to calm a brewing conflict between his new commercial deal and his England job, telling the England and Wales Cricket Board he will not promote gambling while he is on national duty.
Pietersen put pen to paper this week on a lucrative brand ambassador agreement with an online betting company. The timing is awkward. He is also contracted as a batting mentor for Brendon McCullum's white-ball side, a role expected to take up around 150 days across the next 13 months.
That stretch runs all the way to the 50-over World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. For Pietersen, it means a return to southern African soil in an England setup, and a tournament where his every move will be watched closely.
The ECB maintains a strict code that prohibits betting-related involvement across the game, which makes the overlap a potential headache for his employers. Pietersen's assurance is meant to keep the two worlds apart, but how the arrangement works in practice will be one to watch as the build-up to the World Cup gathers pace.
