Australia captain Tim Paine has slammed Kevin Pietersen after the former England star said there was "no way" he would play in the Ashes this winter because of Australia's strict coronavirus protocol.
In a now deleted tweet, Pietersen said: "There is NO WAY I would go to The Ashes this winter. ZERO chance!
"Unless the ridiculous quarantine rules were squashed and my family could travel with zero restrictions. Players are now done with bubbles! DONE!!!!!!!!"
When asked about Pietersen's comments, Paine sarcastically labelled him a "expert on everything".
Speaking on SEN Hobart, Paine said: "Well, if you want to know anything on any topic in the world, you just ask Kevin Pietersen. He is an expert on everything. There's no doubt about that.
"The great thing about it though, if anyone is talking to Kevin, is no one is forcing you to come. No one is forcing any England player to come.
"That's the beauty of the world we live in, you have a choice – if you don’t want to come, don’t come.
"If you do want to come and represent your country and play in an Ashes series, which Joe Root said is what they all want to do, then come and do it.
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"We have not heard one England player come out and say they will not be coming. I think it’s been beat up and people like Kevin like to get themselves a little bit of exposure in the media whenever they can."
Pietersen has now responded to Paine, tweeting: "To be fair to @tdpaine36, it is up to the players to make the decisions on The Ashes tour, not ex has-beens!
"Hopefully there’ll be a positive outcome over the weekend. The Ashes is the greatest rivalry & battle in Test match cricket – and we need Test Match cricket to survive!"
