Shane Warne has claimed that Australia will win this summer's Ashes if Kevin Pietersen is ruled out of the series.

The England batsman has just returned to batting in the nets after a knee injury as he bids to be fit to face Australia.

Former Australia bowler Warne believes that England would miss Pietersen's influence if he were unfit to play in the series.

"If Kevin Pietersen's not available for the Ashes I think Australia will win," Warne told Sky Sports News. "I think he's that big a player for the England team.

"Everyone feeds off him. He's such a destructive player, he can come out and get some low scores, but he's such a destructive player.

"If Kevin Pietersen plays then I still think Australia can come out and surprise England but I think if he's unavailable for the Ashes, which we don't want, we want him to be playing, everybody does as a cricket lover."

The first Ashes Test begins at Trent Bridge on July 10.