Cook selfish to write off England's World Cup chances: Pietersen

Former skipper Kevin Pietersen Saturday said England cricket captain Alastair Cook was being selfish by writing off his team's chances in the 2015 World Cup.

Pietersen, who was unceremoniously dropped from the side reportedly at the behest of Cook and the team management, said the cricket board was reluctant to sack the captain ahead of the 2015 World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, Feb 14-March 29.

"I think it is selfish that the captain is not talking positively about winning the World Cup. In Alastair Cook's own words it is 'far fetched' to believe we can win the tournament," Pietersen wrote in his column in The Daily Telegraph.

Pietersen rubbished claims that England didn't have any chance of winning the World Cup.

"I just do not buy that. It is also nonsense to think we do not have time to make changes that could transform England's chances."

"Cook has had three and a half years as captain of the one-day side. I had discussions with the past coach about the way we played one-day cricket and the personnel picked to play the 50-over format, but they had their set routines and structure. Now we are watching those crumble," he said.

Pietersen said there is a theory that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reluctant to remove Cook as captain of the one-day team because it might destabilise the camp ahead of next year's Ashes.

"That is hard to swallow for those of us who endured back-to-back Ashes campaigns just so this winter could be dedicated to one-day cricket in the lead-up to the World Cup."

"The scheduling of the Ashes was changed to give us a chance of winning the World Cup, because in previous years we would begin that tournament on the back of a tour to Australia," he said.

"Now we hear the England captain more or less writing off our chances and Sky commentators saying it is too late to change our strategy. They are giving up before we have even started. What is going to happen for the next six months? Are the guys on a jolly? We may as well send another country that thinks it can do well at the World Cup," said Pietersen.

The South African-born cricketer said England need to score runs quicker and pick guys without the baggage of past failures or indoctrinated with an outdated approach to the one-day game.

"England play a very traditional brand of cricket. Cook said the other day that if he bats 50 overs he makes a hundred. I'm thinking, 'No, no'. If you are going to bat 50 overs these days you need to make 150. Shane Watson does that. Virender Sehwag would make 220 if he batted 50 overs. That is the thought process we need, but at the moment it is so negative," he said.

Pietersen felt England have to look at other countries and how they approach one-day cricket.

"We have guys like Paul Collingwood, Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff who were either great thinkers about the game, or excellent one-day cricketers, but how many times have they been asked to help? None," said Pietersen.