Pietersen says England 'mentally fragile' after surrendering Ashes to Oz

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said that he believes England has been 'mentally a bit fragile' after surrendering the Ashes in the winter series in Australia.

Pietersen has come under fire for the manner of his dismissals in this series, including for getting out in Melbourne, on 71, trying to slog Mitchell Johnson.

According to the Mirror, the No.4 batsman has blamed the scheduling of back-to-back series against Australia for his side's capitulation in the winter series, saying that mentally, England might have become a bit fragile after enduring ten back-to-back Test matches.

Although Pietersen refused to compare England's plight to post-Olympic athletes going into depression or a negative frame of mind, he however, insisted that it is a 'tough gig' for them to play Ashes after Ashes, especially when they are far away from their home.

Stating that Australia is a tough place to tour, Pietersen further said that they have been playing in an extremely pressurised situation, adding that it has been very difficult for them not to start in the manner that they are accustomed to.

Despite trailing the series 3-0, Pietersen insisted England would be trying to win both the ongoing fourth Test in Melbourne and the fifth Test in Sydney in the New Year, in order to salvage the pride.