By IANS,
Sydney : Australian spin legend Shane Warne feels newly-appointed England captain Kevin Pietersen is too self-centric and the change of guard will make it difficult for them to win the Ashes next year.
The 2005 Ashes-winning skipper Michael Vaughan made a tearful exit from the England captaincy Sunday following a home series loss to South Africa.
Warne — a close friend of Pietersen’s — believes England desperately needed Vaughan to guide them to the 2009 Ashes. “Vaughan is crucial for England to regain the Ashes next year because he is such a good captain,” Warne was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
“My biggest worry (with Pietersen) is that he gets a bit far above himself and doesn’t keep his feet on the ground. He’s got to remember who his friends are. If he keeps that in mind, he will be all right. He has as much talent as anyone that has ever played the game,” he said.
Vaughan’s fate was sealed when England were crushed by South Africa in the third Test at Edgbaston, with the Proteas taking a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.