England pushed panic button

England fast bowler Chris Tremlett has shed further light on his team's disastrous Ashes series in Australia claiming that communication totally broke down and panic took root among the touring party as they slumped from one demoralising defeat to another.

He also added his voice to the chorus that has lamented batsman Kevin Pietersen's sacking by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in the weeks following the Ashes series, describing it as a "great loss", not just for England but for the game globally.

Tremlett, one of three tall seamers included in the England Ashes squad with a view to exploiting fast, bouncy Australian pitches, was axed from the starting XI after the opening Test in Brisbane in which he captured four wickets.

In an interview with 'The Telegraph' newspaper in the UK, he claimed that given the fast-bowler friendly conditions at the WACA and the fact the Ashes were on the line after Australia emphatically triumphed in the first two matches of the series, he expected to be in the frame for a recall for the third Test in Perth.

But after he – as well as fellow lanky quicks Steve Finn and Boyd Rankin – was left out of the Perth Test in favour of all-rounders Ben Stokes and Tim Bresnan, Tremlett claimed he found himself on the outer with England team management for the remainder of the tour.

"I wasn't really spoken to after Perth," Tremlett told 'The Telegraph'.

"I expected to play there but I was overlooked and that was disappointing. 

"After Perth, when we lost the series, was when the mood definitely changed. 

"Communication was not the same. 

"It can be tough when you are losing like that and people are panicking and you are not sure what to do.

"Communication just was not as good as it normally was."

Tremlett also defended his Surrey and former England teammate Pietersen whose international career was effectively terminated in the wake of England's five-nil Ashes drubbing and who was cited by a number of sources as being a destabilising influence within the team.

Stories emanating from the tour suggested Pietersen took issue with the coaching philosophy of team director Andy Flower – who also lost his job in the fall-out from the Australian debacle – and was involved in a heated clash with captain Alastair Cook prior to the final Test in Sydney.

But Tremlett claims that if the gifted but polarising South African-born batsman was guilty of any offence it was nothing more serious than airing his views of a clearly under-performing team in a public forum.

"We had some honest chats out there (in Australia)," Tremlett said.

"Kevin is a pretty honest character and when times are tough some people find it hard to express themselves, but Kevin is not one of those people. 

"He is not afraid to say what is going on and tell it how it is. 

"From what I saw, he did not do anything wrong apart from voicing his opinion of what was wrong and going on.

"I am sure there is more to it than meets the eye.

"I don't know whether he has been shot down for that but it is a shame he is not playing anymore.

"There are different relationships with different people at the ECB and he has had other instances in the past and it looks like they just wanted to move on and try new players, which is their call.

"But it is a great loss, not just for England but for the world game."