Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that the national side have been dealt a blow by the omission of Kevin Pietersen.

The 32-year-old was forced to pull out of the final Test match against New Zealand in Auckland due to a knee injury.

The ECB have confirmed that Pietersen will be sidelined for six to eight weeks, but Vaughan believes that an opportunity has been presented to Jonny Bairstow.

Vaughan wrote on Twitter: "KP will be missed but a big opportunity for @jbairstow21 to show his class...."

The series sits at 0-0 due to weather-affected matches.