World Cup 2015: England Cricket Team Did Not Miss Kevin Pietersen, Says Ricky Ponting

England crashed out of World Cup 2015 last Monday. As expected, there has been a fierce backlash in the media and formers cricketers have ripped apart Eoin Morgan's team. While a few have pointed fingers at the sacking of Kevin Pietersen as the main reason for the debacle, the rest have tagged the team as mediocre and over-rated.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting wasn't too surprised to see England exit the World Cup so soon. In his article in ESPNCricinfo, Ponting calls them a 'bits and pieces team' and writes that England lacked an X-factor, an explosive batsman. Ponting said the presence of Pietersen would have not changed England's fortunes.

Ponting says that England have quite a few good batsmen but they lack flair and never threaten to snatch the game away from the opposition. Ponting states that Ian Bell and James Taylor are class players but isn't effective in the ODI format. (England Defend 'Data' Theory)

Ponting adds that Moeen Ali is more of an all-rounder and Joe Root's technique is not suited for ODIs. He also says that Jos Buttler could have done the job but England haven't used him well.

"England's most explosive player is Jos Buttler, who has often found himself coming in to bat after the dominant theme of the innings has been established." (England Have a Dreadful Summer Ahead: Mark Butcher)

The former Australian captain also slammed the English bowling and called it one-dimensional.

"If the ball doesn't swing, there is a feeling of sameness about their attack", said Ponting. He points out that James Anderson, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes are similar type of bowlers and don't pose a threat for any opposition in flat conditions.

Ponting, though, had some sympathies for the English captain, Morgan.

"It was unfair to give Morgan only a couple of series to lead, going in to the tournament", said the three-time World Cup winner who added, "Choosing Morgan as captain may have been counterproductive."

He explains that Morgan along with Buttler could have been England's trump card in the death overs but the burden of captaincy showed on Morgan and led to the slump in his form.

The Tasmanian, however, rubbished the fact that Pietersen could have made any difference to this English unit.

"He might have been able to provide some of the missing spark. Watching him in the Big Bash, I wasn't sure he's quite the player he once was. The reality is that very few of us are when we get to that stage of our careers."

He also mentions that the infighting of the English Cricket Board has left the team disoriented and sacking the coach Peter Moores was only a step in the positive direction. Ponting also suggests a replacement for Moores, his compatriot Jason Gillespie.

Gillespie has been very successful coaching the Yorkshire county side and Ponting believes that England needs a man like 'Dizzy' at the helm.

However, Ponting concluded with a jibe saying that at the present state, no one will be lining up to fill into Moores' shoes.