Under-siege England spinner Ashley Giles has hit back at critics whom, he says, have been hurtful and unfairly expecting of him to be his country's version of Shane Warne.

Giles has been savaged in the English press following his disappointing game in the first Test loss to Australia at Lord's, where he went for 0-56 from 11 overs for the match, and in a column in Britain's Guardian newspaper he hit back at his detractors.

"Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field. Famously, they said that about the last England side to win the Ashes. Now they are saying it about me," Giles wrote.

"I suppose I should take it as an omen. Once my anger has died down, maybe I will.

"One of my mates said to me that it's always the negative voices that are the loudest, but the criticism has been hurtful and it's been unfair. I don't expect media cheerleaders. I just think I have a right to some fair criticism."

Giles, 32, has taken 127 wickets with his left-arm spin from 46 matches, and came close to giving the game away last year because of the flak he copped from commentators and fans.

Among the critics this time around are former Zimbabwe captain David Houghton, now coaching Derbyshire, who said: "With him, England are effectively playing 10 against 11. They should either include another specialist batsman or pick a spinner who can bat."

Former England player Derek Pringle said: "We'll never beat Australia carrying dead wood and Ashley Giles and (wicketkeeper) Geraint Jones are dead wood - but I wouldn't drop them."

Giles sent a sarcastic text message to Houghton "thanking" him for his comments, but stood by his past year and his place in England's resurgence over the past year.

He said the first Test loss to Australia had prompted a massive knee-jerk reaction.

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