Kevin Pietersen says only five England players are ‘good enough’ after Ashes defeat

Kevin Pietersen believes only five England players are ‘good enough’ afterthe team’s hugely disappointing Ashes defeat to Australia.

Despite a dismal record Down Under, Brendon McCullum’s England were given widely tipped to if not regain the Ashes at least compete with Australia.

England legend Stuart Broad branded this Australian team ‘the worst’ since Andrew Strauss’ side won a historic Ashes in 2010-11.

But the tourists’ bid to regain the urn was over after just three Tests with Australia taming McCullum’s Bazballers and storming into a 3-0 lead.

England won a consolation Test in Melbourne – their first win in Australia in 15 years – but normal service resumed in the series finale, with the hosts returning to winning ways to clinch the series 4-1.

More than one off-field controversy blighted England’s tour but Pietersen believes there has been too much focus on these ‘distractions’ and says the ‘very simple’ fact is that several players are not up to the grade.

Pietersen, one of the best players of his generation, in fact believes only Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook and new No. 3 Jacob Bethell are ‘good enough’ to compete with England’s two biggest rivals Australia and India.

‘I’ll help with the thorough investigation that the ECB are going to conduct, right here, for free,’ Pietersen said on social media.

‘Apart from Stokes, Root, Archer, Bethell & Brook WITH a brain, the team isn’t good enough to compete with Australia or India.

‘It’s proven just on this tour with Australia missing most of their best players. All the pre-tour game chat, discipline chat and now investigations, they are now mere distractions.

‘It’s very simple, as I’ve stated above.’

Discussing the perceived culture of the current England team, Pietersen added: ‘I’ve been on tours where we just haven’t been good enough as a collective and gotten beaten.

‘We could have prepared for 12 months before it, all been in bed at 7pm every night and everyone stayed 100% fit, but we’d have still lost. It’s reality!

‘The issue here is, optics!!!! Nothing else!!! And unfortunately, they play a huge part, as sportsmen are public property! So there will be consequences…’

Only three England players – Root, who scored two centuries, Bethell, who only played two games, and Brook – averaged more than 30 in the five-match Ashes series.

Australia also dominated the bowling standings, with player of the series Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland sharing 51 wickets.

There have been called for McCullum to lose his job in the aftermath of another disappointing Ashes tour but Stokes hopes he continues in the role.

‘He’s a great man and a very, very good coach,’ England’s Test captain said.

‘There’s more that goes on behind the scenes than he’ll ever give away or let out. He’s got my full support. We started so well in the first couple of years and now we are eking downwards.

‘That is never a good place to be as a team. The time off after this is for reflection and honest truths. It needs to happen.’

Stokes also acknowledged opponents may have found England out and come up with ways to deter their attacking brand of cricket.

‘For a while, teams are working out how to operate against us as a team,’ he added.

‘When we seem to get into a situation with the bat where everything looks easy, oppositions are doing a lot of the same things to us now. We need to work out what we do in those situations a lot better.

‘We play too much ‘three out of 10 cricket’ in terms of the chances of it coming off. When you do that, the chances are it is not going to come off in your favour.’

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