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Kevin Pietersen wants England to forget about Ashes

31/01/2008

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has urged his team-mates to concentrate on the tour of New Zealand and forget about to next year's Ashes series.

Fans and the media alike have already started to discuss the Ashes series which will take place in England. But Pietersen has warned that his team first need to think about getting back to winning ways before they contemplate another crack at Australia.

England have lost their last two Test series, at home to India and away at Sri Lanka. They are currently on tour in New Zealand where they are scheduled to play two Twenty/20 matches, five one-dayers, and a three match Test series.

"It [the Ashes] is not something I'm thinking about, it's not something I'm even contemplating thinking about," said Pietersen. "I'll start thinking about the 2009 Ashes probably next year - that's not what we should be thinking about now.

"We've got to make sure we get back to our winning ways. We didn't do ourselves any good by playing the way we did in Sri Lanka.

"Personally, and from a team point of view, we just want to concentrate on winning in New Zealand and get back on a winning run because the spectators that follow us deserve to feel happy about the national team."

Pietersen smashed a magnificent 158 in the final Test at the Oval in 2005 to make sure England won the Ashes. He was also one of the few England players who came out with any credit in the humiliating 5-0 Ashes defeat last year.

But the 27-year-old stressed that England should not get into "thinking that Australia is the only series" and should work towards becoming a force in Test cricket again.