Pietersen hits out after bar incident

Kevin Pietersen has taken aim at England and former teammate Andrew Strauss following the latest incident Down Under.

Ben Duckett was stood down from a tour game on Saturday and suspended after an incident in a Perth bar when it was reported he poured a drink over James Anderson after a heated row.

It was the first night after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of cricket Andrew Strauss agreed to a relaxing of the midnight curfew placed on the Test squad a fortnight ago.

As this fresh controversy rocks an already unstable England, Pietersen took aim at the current side ahead of the third Test in Perth.

“It looks like the England batters are making out that this Australian bowling attack in their head is some of the fastest they’ve ever faced, is the scariest bowling they’ve ever faced and it looks like they’re just very nervous when they go out to bat,” Pietersen said on BT Sport.

“You need to get on top of them and you need to show them that you’re not scared and you’re not worried and there’s no-one in that England side at the moment that doesn’t look scared. And that’s my issue, that’s the concern.”

Not finished there, the former star slugger had some harsh words for former skipper Alastair Cook and current skipper Joe Root.

“It looks like Cook is not very interested,” Pietersen said.

“Just the way that he’s got out, the manner of his dismissals and also the way he’s walked off the field once he’s got out. That’s the sign of a bloke who goes, ‘You know what, maybe my time is up’.

“Joe Root hasn’t set the world on fire at all, absolutely not by any stretch of the imagination,” Pietersen added.

“So it’s not as if we’re going to blame everyone else. You need to lead from the front in Australia.”

Coach Trevor Bayliss confirmed that Duckett was involved the incident with Anderson on Thursday.

“I think that was the issue,” Bayliss said.

“It was boys being boys, I suppose, but totally unacceptable. It’s trivial, but in the current climate not acceptable.

“Everyone has been warned about how even small things can be blown out of all proportion.

“I’m disappointed. With what we have had to go through already with these problems, it is not acceptable.”

Bayliss said the Northants batsman was suspended by team management while a disciplinary investigation, which will be led by Lions coach Andy Flower, takes place.