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England batsman Pietersen will play two SuperSport Series matches for the Dolphins as he finetunes his game ahead of his country’s Ashes tour of Australia which starts in November.
He joins a Dolphins’ squad that is desperately short of experienced players after a clear-out of senior pros towards the end of last season.
The Durban-based franchise will also be without the services of batsmen Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman and David Miller who have been selected to play for South Africa in their twenty20 and limited-overs series against Zimbabwe.
Much will be expected of the 30-year-old Pietersen but he is hopeful that that he can make as much of an impact off the field as on it.
“I am 30 years old now. I have probably got to the top of the fence and am on the way down now,” Pietersen chuckled.
“It is encouraging and nice if you can help somebody else,” Pietersen told reporters in Durban on Monday after his first net session since arriving in South Africa.
“My role here is not just for my own benefit. Hopefully it will also benefit some of the guys who want to ask questions and want to speak to me about playing on the big stage.
“It is time to start giving back and to realise that there are a lot of young players that do look up to senior players,” he added.
Pietersen said that his decision to play in South Africa was a combination of his friendship with Dolphins’ coach Graham Ford and Pietersen’s desire to spend some time with his family.
“I was coming out to South Africa anyway to introduce my little boy to the rest of his family and I saw that there was an opportunity to play for the Dolphins.
“With Graham Ford being a close friend of mine I rang him up and asked if there was a possibility of me being able to train with the Dolphins and possibly play with them,” he explained.
Pietersen’s first match for the Dolphins will be against the Warriors with the game set to start on Thursday in Pietermaritzburg and the Maritzburg College old boy is eager to make an impression as he builds up to the Ashes.
“I’m looking forward to getting some things going with Fordie and the Dolphins over the next few weeks because England has a very tough winter coming up.
“It will be a case of feeling my way in over the next few days and helping out wherever I can as well,” he said.
