'They just not good enough': Pietersen, Boycott blast England set-up after West Indies slump

Former captain Kevin Pietersen said the England set-up "stinks", with Geoffrey Boycott accusing the team of going "nowhere" after their latest humiliating defeat.

A thumping 10-wicket loss in the third and final Test against the West Indies in Grenada on Sunday condemned England to a series loss hot on the heels of their 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.

Although England captain Joe Root has now overseen just one win in 17 Tests, he said Sunday he had no intention of stepping down as skipper, with team director Ashley Giles and coach Chris Silverwood sacked following the Ashes debacle.

Pietersen, England's captain from 2008 to 2009, insisted Monday the fundamental issue was the ability of the squad available to Root, who has skippered the Test side on a record 64 occasions, rather than his much-criticised tactics in the field.

"As a captain you are only as good as your players," Pietersen told Talk Sport radio.

"Forget Joe Root, it is about the players. Who is going to do a better job with the calibre of player that is playing Test cricket for England? It is not Joe Root's fault. Who are you going to pick?"

Pietersen, 41, added: "When Jack Leach and Ben Stokes put that partnership together at Headingley (in the Ashes) three years ago, Stokes played the innings of his life -- I said then Leach is not good enough.

"He's not a good enough spinner. And who is second in line, Dom Bess? Are you joking?

"Don't point fingers at Root, understand the set-up. The set-up stinks."

Ben Stokes, currently England's vice-captain and a close friend of Root, would appear to be the obvious successor as skipper.

But the 41-year-old Pietersen, a gifted batsman who scored 23 hundreds in 104 Tests, insisted a change of captain would mean little if the team