Kevin Pietersen infuriated by DRS allegations in Ashes series

ICC to probe into charge England players used silicone tape on the edge of their bats to confuse Hotspot technology.

The Hot Spot did not pick a nick off Kevin Pietersen's bat on Monday even though there seemed to be a noise. Jon Super / AP Photo

Kevin Pietersen, the England batsman, on Wednesday angrily responded to what he described as "horrible lies" linking him and other players with attempts to hoodwink Hot Spot by applying silicon tape to their bats.

After a succession of Decision Review System (DRS) controversies in the ongoing Ashes series, reports surfaced overnight of an alleged new practice among players designed to defeat the thermal imaging technology which demonstrates bat-on-ball contact.

Pietersen is one of several players to have been affected by DRS incidents this summer, given out caught-behind on the final day as England retained the Ashes at Old Trafford even though Hot Spot indicated he had not hit the ball.

This morning, responding to the stories, he tweeted: "Horrible journalism yet again!

"My name brought up in hotspot crisis, suggesting I use silicon to prevent nicks showing! Such hurtful lies."

Pietersen went on to deny being a cheat, adding: "I am never afraid of getting out! If I nick it, I'll walk.. To suggest I cheat by covering my bat with silicon infuriates me.."

Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, also believes there is no basis for the allegations.

"I find the accusation quite funny," he said in quotes carried by the Australian media.

"I can't talk for everybody. But if it is the case, we are talking about cheating.

"I can tell you there is not one person in the Australian change-rooms who is a cheat.

"That's not the way we play cricket.

"I know no one is going to the extreme of saying 'put this on your bat because it will help you beat Hot Spot'.

"I didn't know there was such a thing you could do to hide nicking the ball on Hot Spot.

"I wouldn't think it would make any difference. I've never heard of anyone doing it."

A third tweet in under 20 minutes demonstrated Pietersen's annoyance.

"How stupid would I be to try and hide a nick when it could save me on an LBW appeal – like in 1st innings where hotspot showed I nicked it..," he asked his followers.

Players from both sides, meanwhile, are set to meet the International Cricket Council's director of operations Geoff Allardice before the fourth Investec Test in Durham, which starts on Friday.

The ICC decided to fly the Australian out to speak to the teams and their coaches, in response to this summer's concern over the implementation of DRS.

BCCI will not budge on stance against DRS

India will accept the Decision Review System only when it becomes "foolproof", the Board of Control for Cricket in India's interim president said in an interview published on Wednesday.

India were part of the first-ever Test series featuring the DRS in Sri Lanka five years ago but have opposed the system of referrals to the television umpire, maintaining that they are not convinced about its accuracy.

"We will accept DRS when technology is foolproof," Jagmohan Dalmiya told The Indian Express newspaper. "There's nothing in between."

Dalmiya said he was not sure when the system would become perfect.

"Let them come up with a system which is 100 per cent correct. They couldn't fix the Duckworth-Lewis problem in 15 years, what guarantee do we have about an error-free DRS?

"The Duckworth-Lewis method is beyond most of the players and administrators, let alone the common fans," he said about the prevalent system of revising targets in case of rain interruptions during limited-overs games.

"I'm still trying to figure out how a team total is increased on the basis of projection. The whole process is very complicated and confusing. And rather than solving the riddle, DRS creates more confusion in its present form," said Dalmiya, a former chairman of the International Cricket Council.

Dalmiya said India was not isolated on DRS at the ICC annual conference this year.

"Before going to the ICC meeting I was a bit 'iffy' as I was told by some quarters that India would be completely isolated on the DRS issue. But after I was done with my presentation on that day, there was not a single voice of protest," he added.

The DRS has been under scrutiny with some contentious decisions during the past few seasons, including in the ongoing Ashes test series in England.

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