Brendon McCullum wants Kevin Pietersen to challenge him as England me…

England white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum has encouraged newly appointed specialist mentor Kevin Pietersen to privately challenge him on strategic improvements as the legendary batter begins his role ahead of the Sri Lanka series.

Pietersen, who scored 13,797 international runs across 277 matches for England between 2004 and 2014, steps into the mentorship role through the 2027 ODI World Cup. His tenure kicks off with the home white-ball series against Sri Lanka, starting with the opening T20I in Southampton. sweetbonanza.qpon

Recalling their first conversation, McCullum revealed Kevin Pietersen was surprised by the offer given his past criticism of the team.

"When I rang him and asked whether he would be interested in coming and working with England, I think he thought I was joking for a start! He mentioned that he has been quite critical of us in the past and I said, 'I have no problem with that, mate'. There are parts I might agree with and parts I might not agree with, and that is fine," McCullum shared via Sky Sports.

"The way he looks at the game is quite different to a lot of people and if someone can see something different and point that out to help you to become better, then I see that as no bad thing. Kev will do that and I have encouraged him to do that. I do not want him to be buried in one specific skillset - I want him to look across the set-up and challenge me privately on ways we can improve and do things differently," he added.

McCullum wants Pietersen's 'big personality' to help England

Pietersen previously voiced criticism regarding England's white-ball tour of India in early 2025 prior to the Champions Trophy, targeting their preparation against spin. Despite that history, McCullum praised Pietersen's impact.

"He is one of those guys where he has so much in his life, so for him to give up those things to focus on trying to help us to get to the level we want and challenge for World Cups, we are incredibly lucky. Kev was an unbelievable player and a winner. He left no stone unturned with his preparation. He believed in himself in those big moments and more often than not performed in those moments. He is a big personality and fiercely competitive," McCullum said.

(With inputs from ANI)

AFG Vs IND Match Prediction: After a massive win in this first T20I of this three-match series, India are well and truly on the front foot and can wrap this series up as soon as this very match, as we see two of the best teams in Asia square off against one another.

The Afghanistan Cricket Team had a strong showing in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but did not make it past the first round. They followed it up by being thrashed by India in a one-off test match, and then an ODI series defeat to the men in Blue.

The Afghans have since whitewashed Ireland in a T20I series, the same team that whitewashed India in the same format around the same time. They will not play their first international cricket match in about a month.

As for the Indian Cricket Team, they became the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles earlier this year, while also becoming the first team to win the tournament thrice. Most recently, they lost the first game of this ongoing series.

Then came the IPL, where all the players of the Indian team played. The Sri Lankans then hosted Afghanistan for one Test match and three T20Is, winning them all comfortably. Then came the disastrous two T20Is against Ireland, both of which the Men in Blue lost, losing a match and then a series for the first time to the Irish.

A tour to India was next, where the Indians were thrashed 4-0 in a T20I series, then lost 2-1 in an ODI series. Then came a T20I series win over Zimbabwe, and a Test series victory over Sri Lanka right before this series. Now, they have won the first game of this ongoing series.

AFG Vs IND Match Prediction Date and Time:

• Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
• Time: 7:30 PM onwards (IST)
• Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

AFG Vs IND Live Streaming: How To Watch

The Afghanistan Vs India 2nd T20I of the 2026 series will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network on TV in India. It will be live-streamed on the Fancode app and website on mobiles, laptops, and other streaming devices.

AFG Vs IND Team; Full Squads:

Afghanistan Full Squad:

Ibrahim Zadran (C), Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor-ul-Rahman, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

India Full Squad:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur

Afghanistan Vs India Prediction T20Is: Head-to-Head

• Matches Played: 10
• Afghanistan Won: 00
• India Won: 09
• No Result: 01
• First Played: May 01, 2010 (IND win)
• Last Played: September 13, 2026 (IND win)

AFG Vs IND Toss Update

*To be updated after the toss*

AFG Vs IND Team; Predicted XIs:

Afghanistan Predicted XI:

Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

India Predicted XI:

Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (C), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

AFG Vs IND 2nd T20I 2026 Arun Jaitley Stadium Pitch Report

While historically a little sticky wicket, in recent years, the conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium have been highly conducive to batting. The pitches are flat, with almost no support to bowlers, coupled with short boundaries, making it a batter’s haven. There might be a little something for the pacers here early in the innings. Overall, based on the progress of this competition so far, the tracks are expected to be quite balanced and competitive. The Arun Jaitley is usually a smaller ground. The square boundaries are generally around 60-62m in length, while the straight ones extend out to 68m, possibly 65m or more.

AFG Vs IND 2nd T20I Weather Forecast

It will be a warm evening in the national capital of Delhi on match day. The temperatures will be just shy of the 30 degrees Celsius mark. The skies will be partly cloudy, but the chances of rain will remain low. The winds will be moderate, while the humidity will be very high, making the conditions sticky and uncomfortable.

AFG Vs IND 2nd T20I 2026 Match India Prediction: 3 Players To Watch Out For

The 3 players to watch out for in the AFG Vs IND Tri-Series 2026 2nd T20I are:

• India batter Abhishek Sharma
• Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai
• India bowler Arshdeep Singh

Afghanistan Vs India Prediction: Who Will Win Today’s 2nd T20I?

For the AFG Vs IND 2026 2nd T20I Prediction, India will defeat Afghanistan in the 2nd T20I of this three-match series

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London [UK], September 15 (ANI): England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum has urged pacer Brydon Carse to “get his house in order" and focus on making the right decisions both on and off the field if he wants to push for a return to England’s squads.

The England head coach stressed that Carse remains a quality cricketer, but needs to be fully prepared physically and personally to take his next opportunity.

Last month, Carse was stood down from England’s Test squad after he was briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly outside a bar while celebrating Durham’s County Championship victory with his teammates.

Derbyshire Police have since confirmed that they are investigating an alleged assault linked to the incident, although Carse’s involvement, if any, remains unclear.

Carse was also left out of England’s squads for both the third Test against Pakistan and their white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

“As far as Carsey (Brydon Carse) is concerned, it’s important for Carsey that he gets his house in order. We know he’s an excellent cricketer who has done well when he’s played for England. It’s a good chance for him now to get his house in order and then push for selection for the next opportunity that arises," McCullum said as per Cricinfo.

“I’ve spoken to Carsey a lot. Again, it’s the same message, not just to the guys within the squad at the moment, but also to those who have got aspirations of representing England in white-ball cricket over the next 12 to 18 months. We want to play the style of cricket that comes with responsibility, it comes with physical attributes which you need to be ready for. And you need to make good decisions off the field that allow you to be able to be the best version of yourself," he added.

Carse was previously disciplined for his off-field conduct in 2024, when he received a three-month ban, with a longer suspension, for historical breaches of the ECB’s betting regulations.

Since then, he has established himself as a regular across formats for England and was their leading wicket-taker during last winter’s Ashes series in Australia. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

In-form India pacer Mukesh Kumar has joined Nottinghamshire and will play the final two fixtures of the 2026 English County Championship season. Mukesh has 26 international caps across all formats, including three Test matches, in which he has taken 32 wickets.

"I am really pleased to sign for Nottinghamshire at an important time in the season. I can't wait to arrive in England and test myself in county cricket," said Mukesh in a release issued by the club.

"I want to contribute as much as I can while I am here to help Nottinghamshire to success, and I am looking forward to working with the coaches and my new teammates," he added. His stint at Trent Bridge will be the first time in his career that he has represented a domestic side away from Bengal.

"Coming to England is always a good challenge, and I am excited by the chance to play for a new team in new conditions," he said. "I will give everything while I am part of Nottinghamshire, and I hope together, we can be successful."

Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores, said: "We're really excited to get Mukesh over at what is a crucial time of the season. He comes straight off the back of a really competitive game in the Duleep Trophy final, in which he was on the winning team and played a pivotal role in securing the win for East Zone."

Mukesh was the highest wicket-taker in this season's Duleep Trophy, capturing 12 wickets at an impressive average of 14.91.

"Mukesh's quality as a bowler is not in question, knowing how hard it is to compete to play in the Indian team. "It's fantastic for us to get a player who's match-ready and in full competitive mode ahead of two big games for the club," Moores added.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Michael Holding, the former cricketer, has voiced support for improved treatment of Imran Khan, advocating that the former captain deserves humane conditions. With rising worries over Khan's health and the adequacy of prison facilities, international cricket figures have previously reached out to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Holding’s emotions reflect a broader sentiment regarding the plight of the former leader in confinement.