Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Kevin Pietersen's claim that there was bullying in the England dressing room.

Ahead of the release of his autobiography, Pietersen has said that the England setup was a hostile environment due to the antics of, among others, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann and James Anderson.

Both Prior and Swann have since rubbished the allegation that they bullied other members of the team, but Ponting has insisted that there was a poisonous atmosphere around the England camp.

"We saw them doing it. James Anderson was always the same, and Graeme Swann - the pointing of fingers and you'd hear a few expletives if there was a misfield or a dropped catch," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders. That's where the captain has got to come in, not wait and let little things turn into big things. That's what it sounds like has happened in this England team."

Pietersen's autobiography is due out on Thursday.