They may be best pals but Darren Gough believes there is no way back for Kevin Pietersen.
Former England bowler Darren Gough has again spoken candidly on Pietersen’s international exile – admitting he doubts he will make a return to Test cricket.
In an interview with 888sport.com, 44-year-old Gough said: “I don’t think he’s going to be playing anymore. It’s going to be one-day cricket only from now on for Kevin.”
Although Gough says there is no question England would be more successful if Pietersen, 35, was in the team.
“England would be a better side with him in it, but unfortunately for him he’s not played enough,” says Gough, known as ‘Dazzler’ on the pitch.
“What he should have done last year is play county cricket all season. But he chose not to, instead playing the one-day games for Surrey and he didn’t do that well because you can’t: You can’t just step up once every fortnight and expect to score run after run after run. You need to be playing and you need to be playing all forms of the game.”
Despite Surrey’s Pietersen scoring 14 sixes and a triple century destroying Leicestershire pretty much single-handedly back in May, it failed to earn the batsman an England recall.
In the no-nonsense speak we now expect from talkSPORT Drivetime presenter Gough, he says: “Kevin had a brilliant knock against Leicester and he’s played really well out in the Caribbean League, but the problem now is he doesn’t come back from there until after this tournament has finished, then I think he’s off to America for a holiday.
“I don’t think he’ll be back until August 10, so I can’t see him playing until the end of the season.”
A player who is currying favour and proving pivotal to England’s success in the first Ashes test is Mark Wood, who Gough says “reminds me of myself”.
Known for his reverse-swing bowling, Wood has already accrued the nickname of Junior Gough.
The real Gough says: “I obviously became known for the reverse-swing in ’95 in South Africa and he is very similar to me, but has a shorter run-up and different approach to the wicket.
“He does remind me of myself and I enjoy watching him. He seems a good lad. He’s a hard-worker by all accounts and he backs his own ability.
“I particularly liked the little dig he had at Shane Watson before the series started. That takes a boy who is confident in his own ability. I like to see that.”
Gough also claims Wood’s outgoing personality is as important off the pitch as his talent on it.
“England has got a lot of serious characters in that dressing room with a lot of private schoolboys and just now and again you need someone to bring them down to earth, someone with a personality like Mark Wood.”
Darren Gough was interviewed by 888sport ahead of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
Read more of how Gough sees The Ashes series panning out at 888sport.com http://betting.888sport.com/cricket/news/darren-gough-england-are-taking-it-to-another-level
