Chris Tremlett: Kevin Pietersen's only sin was to speak his mind

Tremlett with Pietersen during the good days

England fast bowler Chris Tremlett has jumped to the defence of his now-retired former team-mate Kevin Pietersen saying that the only thing that Pietersen did wrong was to voice his opinion during the Ashes tour of Australia.

Pietersen was informed about the tragic end to his career following the tour, although no specifics have been made available yet. KP is still under contract till October, after the completion of which the confidentiality clause expires.

He further added that at the best of times, Pietersen was an ‘honest character’.

Tremlett said of his Surrey colleague: “I don’t think he did anything wrong apart from voice his opinion. We had some honest chats and Kevin is a pretty honest character.

“When times are tough and you’re in a squad like that, sometimes people find it hard to express themselves but Kevin isn’t one of those people. He’s not afraid to say what’s going on or to tell it how it is.

“I don’t know whether that is why Kevin has been shot down but it is a shame that he isn’t able to play for England anymore. Hopefully he goes out, scores lots of runs and proves England wrong.”

The fast-bowler further added that the Ashes tour in general was a complete disaster and he was glad when it finally came to an end. The mood inside the dressing room was at an all time low after the third Test with Jonathan Trott exiting due to ‘burn out’ and Graeme Swann announcing his retirement.

The paceman added: “The mood changed after the third Test. Communication wasn’t as good as it should have been. It can be tough when you are losing like that and people are panicking; the team was changing all the time.

“Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann went home before the tour end, so it was the most disjointed tour I’ve been on. It was a bit of a disaster and I was quite thankful to leave at the end of it.”

Pietersen has been in Surrey for a while now and will be playing county cricket with them. At Surrey, KP will be under the leadership of long-time mentor Graham Ford, who had expressed his shock at KP’s sacking and had said that England would rue the day.

Ford said: “When they (Surrey batsmen) do get an opportunity to bat with him it will be a masterclass and a great chance to learn. He’s a good enough player to prove a point in any format.

“He’ll certainly entertain and it will be great for the fans to come down and have a look at him and see just how good he is. Unfortunately he’s got to move on from international cricket.

“The news was surprising. I don’t really know what went on, but I have known Kevin for a long time and I’ve always found him to be a very positive individual and I’m sure he’s going to be extremely positive in our dressing room.”