New signing: Ben Stokes arrived in Christchurch on Wednesday and will play for Canterbury. Credit:AP Meanwhile, Stokes landed in New Zealand on Wednesday and has signed with domestic side Canterbury in a bid to potentially tune-up for an Ashes return ahead of the third Test in Perth. Pietersen wouldn't be drawn on whether or not Stokes should play in the Ashes, but said there was huge strain on Strauss to make the right call. "The big pressure here is on Andrew Strauss," Pietersen said. "He doesn't have a lot of hair at the moment and this for one is going to be something where he's going to lose sleep over. "This is a major, major decision. There's a 50-50 sway on it in public, that's why it's one of those where you look at it and you go, 'what does he do here, how does he make his decision, what does he judge his decision by?'

Under siege: Andrew Strauss, England's director of cricket, has a tough call to make. Credit:PA "When you jump into the realm of being an international sportsman, you have duties and you have unwritten rules and fighting in the streets is probably one of those real unwritten rules that you're just not allowed to do. "I'm not going to be the one who passes judgment on whether he should or shouldn't play, but Andrew Strauss has got an incredibly difficult decision here." Retired Australian all-rounder Shane Watson this week said the ECB should not select Stokes for the remainder of the Ashes and said England couldn't win the series without him. Pietersen warned it was too early to write England off, but said the visitors needed to win in Adelaide or face a near-impossible comeback task in the third Test, which will be played in the speedy and bouncy environs of the WACA.

It's that Test that Stokes would most likely return in, should he be given the chance. "Does he [Strauss] say, 'yeah, come back and play'?" Pietersen said. "Will it be too much of a distraction in a current series? Will it put too much pressure on him being a saviour if we're 2-0 down in Perth and he has a bad Test match in Perth? "You come to Australia, like I've done on many an occasion with an England team, you're the pantomime villain. It's not fun, you get sprayed [from] absolutely everywhere. "Coming under that sort of scrutiny that he would travel under to still having to try and perform in this arena, would it be too much to ask for? He might have a good go at it, he might not and, if he doesn't, how badly would that reflect on the ECB?" Loading