KP hits back at Gooch for rebel tour

Kevin Pietersen has hit out at former England captain Graham Gooch for his role in the rebel tour of South Africa in 1982.

Pietersen was responding to a radio interview with Gooch, in which he said victory for England in their upcoming series against West Indies could end speculation that Pietersen will return to the Test side.

Pietersen was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board last year but has drawn confidence from comments made by incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves, who has indicated a return for the 34-year-old is not out of the equation.

The South African born batsman is expected to make a comeback for English county side Surrey next week, which he hopes will be a significant step on his road back to the England set-up.

The prospect of Pietersen returning for the 2015 Ashes series against Australia has dominated the English cricket media since he first indicated he would follow Graves's request and return to domestic cricket.

Captain Alastair Cook and coach Peter Moores both had to deflect questions about Pietersen over the weekend before they flew out for their three-Test series of the West Indies, which starts on April 13.

Gooch, England's former captain and batting coach between 2009 and 2014, said a successful tour of the Caribbean would help cool talk of a return for Pietersen.

"The best thing England can do is to win well in the Windies and all these comments might go away," Gooch told the BBC.

"(Pietersen) is box office and still good enough - it is whether he has the will and appetite to go to these places and turn it on for Surrey.

"Ever since he was disposed of by England, I think him and his media team have wiped the floor with the ECB.

"He has won the media PR battle, his name is up in lights and he is looked at as the saviour of English cricket.

"We need to get our cricket right. Cook needs to lead from the front - he has had three months off and is refreshed and has been working hard.

"It is a great media story to get Kevin back in, but I think if he doesn't get a call-up, he will be off to the Caribbean Premier League mid-summer."

Pietersen responded to Gooch's comments by tweeting a reference to his captaincy of the rebel side to South Africa, which led to him being banned from international cricket for three years.

Gooch was also critical of Moores following England's early exit from the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Moores, whose first stint as England coach came when Pietersen was captain, was a major player in the decision to replace Cook with Eoin Morgan as ODI captain just months out from the World Cup.

But with the Windies series closely followed by home Tests against New Zealand and Australia, Gooch said it would be unlikely that the under-pressure Moores would lose his job during the English summer.

"If they don't win, Moores's job will be on the line but it would difficult to change a coach so close ahead of big series against New Zealand and Australia," Gooch said.

"Peter's judgement has to be questioned in the World Cup with regard to selection.

"The coach is the main driving force in terms of selection so to change your captain shortly before the start and also your perceived template comes into question and I think that was poor."

England's tour of the West Indies gets underway with a two-day tour match in St Kitts, starting on Monday.