LONDON, (Reuters) – England’s 2005 Ashes-winning side were better than the team that sealed a series victory over Australia with a game to spare in Nottingham on Saturday, according to Kevin Pietersen.
“This team has been brilliant but our 2005 side was better,” England’s fifth highest run-scorer in tests said on Monday.
“I think our batting lineup was stronger than this side and with the likes of (Simon) Jones, (Steve) Harmison and (Andrew) Flintoff we definitely had a much stronger bowling attack.”
England regained the Ashes when they beat Australia by an innings and 78 runs on day three of the fourth test to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
They skittled the opposition for 60 in the first innings with Stuart Broad taking eight for 15. Pietersen, however, said the series victory in 2005 was more special because it was against one of the great Australian sides.
“There were stronger characters in both sides in the 2005 series,” said Pietersen who was sacked after the 5-0 series defeat in Australia in 2013-14 and agitated for a recall after England were crushed in the second test at Lord’s last month.
“Australia had the likes of (Shane) Warne, (Adam) Gilchrist, (Justin) Langer, (Matthew) Hayden and (Ricky) Ponting while we had Harmison, (Michael) Vaughan, Flintoff and me whacking it round with a stupid hairstyle so I think there was definitely a lot more for the crowds in 2005.”
Pietersen, analysing the series for betting firm Paddy Power, felt this year’s matches were too one-sided with England winning comfortably in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham and Australia thumping the hosts at Lord’s.
“The matches in this series haven’t been as close, they’ve been over in two or three days and while that is great for the team who’s winning, it isn’t for everyone else,” he added.
He did feel, though, that England were adopting a new fearless approach and praised his former skipper Andrew Strauss, the new director of cricket who effectively ruled out a return for Pietersen before the start of the series.
“I think Strauss has made some good decisions especially with (coach) Trevor Bayliss and (his assistant) Paul Farbrace and those guys have done a fantastic job,” he said.
“Farbrace, who took over before the New Zealand series (in May), has given the players’ the free spirit to go out there and whack the ball around and basically play in a free-spirited nature.”
