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    "title": "Kevin Pietersen hits back at former skipper Gooch for rebel tour",
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    "excerpt": "Sacked England batsman Kevin Pietersen has criticised former England captain Graham Gooch for his role in the rebel tour ",
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    "editor1": "<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">London, April 6 (IANS) Sacked England batsman Kevin Pietersen has criticised former England captain Graham Gooch for his role in the rebel tour of South Africa in 1982.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">Pitersen&#39;s verbal attack came after Gooch said victory for England in their upcoming series against the West Indies could end speculation that the sacked batsman will return to the Test side.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">Pietersen responded to Gooch&#39;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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">&quot;Graham Gooch - you captained a rebel tour of SA, got banned and then returned to the England team. I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve done anything as bad!&rdquo; Pietersen tweeted on Sunday.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">Gooch, England&#39;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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">&quot;The best thing England can do is to win well in the West Indies and all these comments might go away,&quot; Gooch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Sunday.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">&quot;(Pietersen) is box office and still good enough - it is whether he has the will and appetite to go to these places and turns it on for Surrey,&rdquo; he said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">Pietersen was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) 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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">The South Africa-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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">Gooch was also critical of England coach Peter Moores following England&#39;s early exit from the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">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.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;\">&quot;If they don&#39;t win, Moores&#39; 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,&quot; Gooch said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n",
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    "created": "2015-04-06 11:36:00",
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