Waugh: Fallout can pull team together

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Australian great Waugh believes the furore which led to Kevin Pietersen's resignation and the removal of Peter Moores as coach can actually strengthen England in an Ashes year.

"I don't see this as an issue that's going to split the side and make them perform poorly," said Waugh, speaking on www.laureus.com. "I think, if anything, it may have the ability to make the team a bit stronger."

Strauss, 31, will return to one-day limited-overs action after a two-year absence as captain in March.

But the priority now is to build bridges before the squad's departure on January 21 - following the breakdown of captain-coach relationship and revelations of dressing room disharmony.

Waugh continued: "I think they took it too far and possibly the power got to the leader's head because, you know, surely these things can be worked out behind the scenes and it doesn't have to be played out in public.

"You know, my big saying as a captain was 'praise in public and if you're going to criticise, do it in private."

There is clearly work to do to integrate Pietersen, the side's star turn, back into the fold. But Waugh insisted: "I think players just get on with the job.

"They're pretty hard nosed and they're pretty thick skinned and they're used to a lot of these distractions around the team and now they'll get on with playing cricket and they'll embrace him as a great, great batsman, which he is and I think it will be pretty soon forgotten.

"Right now it seems a big issue that I think once you get on a cricket field again and you've got a new captain, a new coach and a new and different direction, then players will get on with playing Test match cricket."