‘The setup stinks’: Kevin Pietersen defends Joe Root amid calls for England captain to go

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Kevin Pietersen has leaped to the defence of Joe Root and insists England’s demise is not the captain’s fault.

Root insists he is determined to carry on leading the Test match side, despite a 10-wicket defeat to the West Indies in Grenada, to drop the series 1-0.

Root has led England to four consecutive defeats in Test series, which could become five once the India series, with Root’s side trailing 2-1, finishes.

While England are winless in nine matches, but Pietersen vehemently defended Root and pinned the blame on the quality of cricketers at his disposal.

“Who else is going to captain them? You’re only as good as your players,” Pietersen told Talk Sport. “My question is who is going to take over and do a better job with the players they’ve got.

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“Forget Joe Root, it’s the players, who is going to do a better job with the calibre of player that is playing Test cricket for England?

“It’s not Joe Root’s fault. Who else are you going to pick? When Jack Leach and Ben Stokes got that partnership at Headingley, three years ago against Australia, Stokes played the innings of his life.

“I said then, this guy Jack Leach is not good enough, he can be remembered for his glasses, let’s hope he’s not, but he’s not a good enough spinner, he’s not, who’s next in line? Dom Bess? Are you joking?

England captain Joe Root is consoled by Ben Stokes (Getty Images)

“You’re pointing fingers at Joe Root at the moment. Don’t point fingers at Joe Root. Understand the set-up, the set-up stinks.”

When pushed on why Ben Stokes would not be a better option for England, Pietersen criticised maintained it would not matter while England’s top order continues to struggle.

“How is he going to do better than Joe Root? You can have as many voices as you want,” he added. “How are you going to change? Get these guys to score runs against the best bowlers in the world?

“There’s New Zealand, three Tests, India, a Test, South Africa this summer. How are you going to get these guys scoring two hundreds. The opening batters, one, two, three, four, five, how are you going to get them scoring two hundreds when they can’t bat.”