Brook keen to learn from 'hero' Pietersen after superb 42-ball England ton

[p]Brook finished on 114 not out off 49 balls [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/england-UJC5mtAU/sri-lanka-zahH5UHg/?mid=rT3KMuVa"]to lay the foundations for a 119-run win[/a] in the first T20 at Southampton on Tuesday.[/p][p]Former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/UJC5mtAU/"]England[/a] captain Pietersen watched from the dressing-room balcony after returning to the national set-up as a specialist mentor with the limited-overs side.[/p][p][b]"Obviously we haven't had too much time together so far but he's a great figure to have in the changing room - the type of player he was, he looked at batting slightly differently, in a similar way to me as well,"[/b] Brook said of Pietersen.[/p][p][b]"He always wants to try and look to put the bowlers under pressure, and I'm looking forward to working with him a lot more."[/b][/p][embed guid="55c722fc-1eeb-4f56-80d4-865961272247" url="https://x.com/englandcricket/status/2099975629047246928/video/1" social-type="twitter" /][p]Pietersen, one of England's greatest batsmen, was brought into Brendon McCullum's coaching set-up to work with the team in the build-up to next year's 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.[/p][p]"I was actually watching his (Pietersen's) highlights earlier, funnily enough," said Brook. [b]"He was a phenomenal player. The way he accessed different areas of the ground made it really tricky to captain and bowl to, and I'm looking forward to having a lot of conversations about that."[/b][/p][p]He added: "That's not just for white-ball cricket, that's for Test cricket as well. Hopefully he can have a big impact on my career.[/p][p][b]"He's a hero to a lot of players in that changing room. We all grew up watching him and admiring his work and it's just awesome to have a man of his calibre in the changing room."[/b][/p][p]Brook shared a 128-run second-wicket partnership with Jos Buttler and struck 30 runs in the fifth over alone, clubbing three sixes and three fours off Dunith Wellalage.[/p][p]Former Test captain Ben Stokes watched on television and was clearly impressed.[/p][p][b]"I don't even think the genius of KP (Pietersen) could come close to what Harry Brook has talent-wise," [/b]Stokes posted on social media.[b] "You are an absolute freak, Harry."[/b][/p]