Pietersen wasted batting at five: Warne

Debate has raged throughout the series over Pietersen's best value to the England batting, with many pundits claiming he should bat higher up.

Shane Warne says Kevin Pietersen is wasted batting at number five for England in the Ashes Test series in Australia.

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Debate has raged throughout the series over Pietersen's best value to the England batting, with many pundits claiming he should bat higher up the order at number four ahead of Paul Collingwood.

Warne, who became the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets during the opening day's play in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Tuesday, also subscribes to the view.

Pietersen, who is rated England's most dangerous batsman with scores of 92, 158, 70 and 60 not out in the opening three Tests, was batting with the tailenders again Tuesday in his knock of 21.

Pietersen finally perished when he holed out to long-off to be the ninth wicket down and become one of Warne's five scalps in England's feeble first innings of 159 off 74.2 overs.

"He should be batting three or four, I reckon, he's a world-class player and we've seen that during the series," Warne said of his Hampshire county team-mate.

"If I was England I would definitely be putting him up the order, that's for sure ... but I'm not."