Kevin Pietersen makes Ashes claim after England name squad for Australia tour

Kevin Pietersen ‘cannot see’ England scoring enough runs to win back the Ashes in Australia and says ‘one or two’ players will need to have the ‘series of their lives’ to regain the urn.

After weeks of negotiations with Cricket Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed last week that it had given ‘conditional approval’ for the five-Test series to go ahead.

The series is due to take place from December 8 to January 18, and Joe Root’s side will attempt to regain the Ashes for the first time since 2018.

But Pietersen is not optimistic about England’s chances and says in-form Root will need help from a couple of his team-mates if they are to return with the urn.

England were beaten 3-1 in India earlier in the year, before suffering a rare home series defeat to New Zealand over the summer. They were 2-1 down to India when Virat Kohli’s side left the UK instead of playing the fifth and final Test due to Covid-19 fears.

‘I totally understood why England players were uncomfortable with how the Ashes tour was shaping up, but it’s brilliant news that it’s going ahead,’ Pietersen told Betway.

‘This series is crucial to the future of Test cricket – it always attracts a lot of attention in the media, on social media and in terms of TV viewership.

‘My first instinct on seeing England’s squad is that I can’t see how they are going to score the runs to win the series.

‘Joe Root is world class, but you can’t rely on him time after time. One or two others, at least, are going to have to have the series of their lives to keep England in the hunt.’

Despite the concerns over touring Australia, England selected a full-strength 17-player squad last week, including captain Root, vice-captain Jos Buttler and bowling legends James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Australia’s David Warner sympathises with England’s players and admits it is a ‘difficult’ tour, particularly for those players who have children.

‘When it comes to bubbles it is challenging. I do see England’s point of view,’ Warner told the Herald and The Age.

‘Coming to Australia, the questions being asked are obviously out of the control of Cricket Australia. It’s a government situation.

‘We went through it last season. With crossing borders and the like there is a lot of hard work and planning that goes into it. I do feel for the England team and it’s more difficult if you’ve got children.’

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