Cook refuses to back under-fire Pietersen

England captain Alastair Cook has refused to endorse batsman Kevin Pietersen's place in the side, but says it's the media twisting the story to show that the Powers That Be want KP ousted.

Pietersen has been under fire since the Ashes in Australia, which England lost five nil, with coach Andy Flower reportedly insisting on the Surrey man being dropped if he is to continue in the head coach role.

While Flower has denied this, Cook has not come forth to back his fellow batsman, and despite Pietersen being England's top run-getter in the Ashes, the tide has once again turned against the controversial player.
Cook said when asked if he wanted KP in the team: "It's very hard for me to talk to you the media about this. It's very hard.
"I can't do that. Confidentiality and stuff like that - what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room. I refuse to do that.
"You can regard it as you want. As is the way with the media that happens."
He then implored people to forget about the Test side for now, and focus on the ODI series, which begins in Melbourne on Sunday.
He said: "What is important for me is the one-day series at this precise moment in time.
"We know that when I get home from this one-day series a lot of important decisions on how we want to go forward with this Test team, the one-day team and my future - all that kind of stuff - is very important.
"My total focus has to be on us winning games of cricket in this series. We have a World Cup in 2015 in exactly the same conditions as we are going to experience here and that has to be given my full thought.
"After this series then you go back on to how do we rebuild the Test side."