Kevin Pietersen has hit back at jibes from Ashes rivals Down Under by declaring Australia are just a one-man team.

Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden recently claimed England are carried by star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

But Pietersen, who enjoys the off-field jousting, took great relish in throwing the accusation back at them.

"If it wasn't for Shane Warne in that Australia team, we'd have won the Ashes 4-1," said Pietersen.

"He probably had a bigger influence on Australia than Freddie did on England. I've heard that line about Freddie carrying the team before but you can name every player and they did a job for England in that series.

"It is probably the start of the banter they want to get going before the Ashes.

"We know the Australian guys are great guys - we're good mates with them, so I'm sure the series will be played in good spirits.

"We are just waiting for another Australian to make a comment now. It is all good banter adding to the build-up for what will be an amazing series."

The Ashes tour to Australia does not start for another six months. Before then, England take on Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home but they start the summer without four of their heroes from last year.

Captain Michael Vaughan, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles are all injured, while James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Ian Black-well are also unavailable.

Pietersen, who is fit and firing after blasting 98 from 73 balls for Hamp-shire on Monday, concedes it is a blow to be missing so many key players.

But he insisted: "The Ashes team will play together again but as for when, I don't know. I do think it will be back together at some point.

"Let's just hope that, by November, we've got a full strength team to take the Aussies on and smack them in Australia."

Pietersen was appearing at a Peckham housing estate to promote a new Urban cricket programme, designed to encourage inner-city youngsters to take up the sport.

The England and Wales Cricket Board and sponsors npower are looking to capitalise on last summer's Ashes fever, which saw interest levels in the sport reach new heights.

Cricket faces a real battle to hold that interest this summer with the football World Cup just weeks away and all live coverage of cricket disappearing from terrestrial television.

But 60,000 Urban Cricket kits will be distributed nationwide in the hope of uncovering the next Pietersen or Flintoff.

Pietersen added: "I first became interested in the game by playing with my mates and using a tennis ball and dustbins for stumps. Urban Cricket will give tens of thousands of youngsters the chance to get involved.

"That is really exciting."