Michael Vaughan believes England used Kevin Pietersen as 'scapegoat'

Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Kevin Pietersen was made a scapegoat when things went south because of his personality.
 
Pietersen was one of England's X-factor players, who won matches single-handedly for the team. However, his career ended much before it should have been because of the 'textgate' scandal that rocked England cricket in 2012.
 
Vaughan stated that Pietersen's messages were 'out of order', however, England used him to win the India series but then made him the scapegoat when things went wrong in Ashes in Australia.
 
'They managed players brilliantly for many years but I just feel around that time they just let it drift and they were looking for a scapegoat, and he was the perfect excuse," Vaughan told foxsports.com.au..
 
"In 2012 his text was bang out of order. Now, where English cricket were wrong in my opinion was they allowed him back in and he went to India.

 
"From (after the tour of India) on you felt like they used him to win a big series and then when it started to go pear-shaped again it was almost as if they had this excuse of why it was and it was always going to be Kevin Pietersen," he said.
 
Vaughan also revealed an incident after the fateful Ashes series of 2013-14 that left a sour taste in his mouth. He claimed that the entire blame was being out on Pietersen after their 0-5 humiliation and he just couldn't believe how one player could be responsible for such a one-sided loss.
 
"We were getting briefed in the comm box through messages from the England coach at the time, Andy Flower, that it was all (because of) Kevin," Vaughan said.
 
"All I kept hearing was 'Kevin Pietersen' and I kept going 'bull****, can't be just one person. Manage him. You can't allow one person to derail 15. And it can't be that it's just him'."
 
Graeme Smith was an absolute nightmare, feel Broad and Anderson
 
In other development, the English pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart feel that they can still play an Ashes series.
 
"I don't think I could go until your age," Broad told Anderson in an Instagram live chat. "Your action's so smooth, it looks a lot calmer on your body whereas mine is a little more forceful through my body I think.
 
"But I'm loving the environment at the minute. I love playing for England. I still have huge motivation to keep playing and you just assess that year by year. And we've got that carrot dangling over us of Australia in Australia which looks like an achievable carrot to grab."
 
Anderson said that fitness was his prime focus. "The big thing is standards. If your standards feel like they're dropping then yeah you might consider finishing," Anderson said.

 
"But as long as my standards stay high, my fitness levels stay good and my skills stay where I want them to be and my speed stays pretty good which they have been (I'll keep playing)."
 
Commenting on the batsman who troubled them most, both picked former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.
 
"Graeme Smith, I found an absolute nightmare. I wish I could have bowled at him having worked on my around the wicket stuff and try and draw him to drive through extra cover. But for me just over the wicket trying to swing it into the stumps, hopeless," Broad said.
 
Anderson echoed the sentiments and said: "I had exactly the same problem. When I first started, my first series against him was 2003 and all I could do then was swing the ball back in. I didn't have an out-swinger to a left-hander and I couldn't wobble the ball across him. So I was just feeding his strength. I just go so annoyed."
 
--IANS
 
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