English media comes down hard at Pietersen

London, Nov 24 (UNI) Reacting angrily over Kevin Pietersen and his men's seven-match series loss against India, the English media today lashed out at the England team, saying the visitors should now approach the remaining three matches keeping the 2011 World Cup in Asia in mind.

'Daily Telegraph', the British newspaper, said, ''England bowed out of this one-day series as they began, outplayed, outwitted, and out of ideas,'' the paper wrote after England lost at Bangalore in a day-night match decided.'' ''To lose four games over a seven-match series in India would not be unusual for many visiting teams, but to lose four in a row, even if two of them did involve the arcane Duckworth-Lewis method, suggests a side long on inflexibility and short of solutions,'' it added.

Another newspaper 'The Times' has advised Pietersen and Co to use the remaining three matches to make notes for the 2011 World Cup to be hosted by Asian nations.

''England have repeated their failure here of two years ago in losing the series at the earliest opportunity, 4-0 down... England must now use the remainder of the series to learn with the 2011 World Cup in mind, and try to gain some confidence ahead of the Test matches,'' it said.

The daily said yesterday was the best chance for England to show their Twenty20 experience gathered from playing in the Standford series.

''England had implausibly claimed that the Stanford week was part of their preparation for the India tour but, if the Antigua experience really was to be of use, then here was the opportunity to show it. The dash for runs was only a couple of overs longer than a Twenty20 chase.'' England were given a revised target of 198 runs from 22 overs by applying the Duckworth/Lewis method in the rain-marred match.

'The Guardian' said ''England's start had been feeble, repressed and thoroughly demoralising. After every unproductive over, one thought ''this must be the low spot'' only to discover that another over later there was another.'' ''In the first six overs of pace England did not middle a ball and scrambled to 21 for one in thoroughly embarrassing manner.

Indians in the crowd laughed. The match felt lost,'' the report said.

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