Tim Bresnan has categorically denied any involvement in posting messages to the parody Twitter account which so upset his England team-mate Kevin Pietersen.
As allegations fly thick and fast in the week Pietersen — sacked as an England batsman in February — publishes his autobiography, there was a new development last night when former Test captain Alec Stewart insisted Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Bresnan all had access to the 'KP Genius' Twitter account in 2012.
Run by Richard Bailey, an acquaintance of Broad's, the feed lampooned Pietersen's personality and was eventually closed down.
Bresnan is the first to react to Stewart's insistence that he told then England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris that Bailey himself informed him of the direct involvement of Pietersen's team-mates.
But Bresnan used Twitter on Thursday morning to say: “Disappointed to be implicated in the #kpgenius account.
“I 100% did NOT have any password. And wasn’t involved In any posting.”
Swann denied any involvement too earlier this week, and Broad did so in an ECB statement in August 2012.
Pietersen has alleged a "bullying" culture ran through the England dressing-room under the regime of former coach Andy Flower and that it was orchestrated largely by Swann, Broad and wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
The 34-year-old also traces many of the controversies of the latter stages of his record-breaking England career to the “horrendous” breach of trust and loss of respect he felt on learning his own team-mates were behind the parody account.
He sets that context of disillusionment against the subsequent storm which erupted that same summer — and led to his three-month exile from the team — after he admitted sending 'provocative' texts about his own captain Andrew Strauss to opposition players during a Test series against South Africa.
It was two days before the final Test of three at Lord’s, from which Pietersen was omitted, that Broad released his statement via his employers.
It read: “Following last night’s statement by Mr Richard Bailey that he was responsible for creating a parody Twitter account in Kevin Pietersen’s name, I would like to confirm that I had no involvement in this whatsoever.
“I met with the managing director, England Cricket, Hugh Morris this morning and assured him that I did not play any role in the creation of this account or provide Mr Bailey with any information regarding Kevin Pietersen or the England team.
“As has been widely reported, Mr Bailey is a friend of mine — but we had no conversations regarding this issue at all, and I am pleased that he has now decided to close the parody account down.”
Stewart’s conversation with Bailey took place during the first Test at The Oval in July. No date is specified as yet for the moment he recalls relaying the information to both Morris and Flower.
At the end of Broad’s statement on August 14th, Morris added: “Having discussed this matter with Stuart, I am fully satisfied that he acted in a professional manner at all times and did not breach any confidences regarding fellow England players.
“ECB also accepts the apology Mr Bailey offered last night to the England team via his Twitter account and his reassurances that no professional cricketers were involved in the creation of this site.”
Bailey has subsequently reiterated that fact. Pietersen’s international career ended in the messy aftermath of England’s whitewash Ashes defeat last winter.
His book, KP: The Autobiography, was launched at the start of this week and goes on general sale this morning.
