England batsman Kevin Pietersen has reacted angrily to speculation that his bat for the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford had been deliberately covered in silicon tape.

Channel Nine, a television station in Australia, raised the issue after Pietersen was given out by the umpire during the second innings in Manchester, despite the fact that no mark had shown up on his bat on HotSpot.

It had been claimed that the presence of silicon would prevent the technology from picking up if the ball had been edged or not.

However, England's number four has refuted those suggestions, having described them as "hurtful lies".

"Horrible journalism yet again! My name brought up in hotspot crisis suggesting I use silicon to prevent nicks showing! Such hurtful lies," he wrote on Twitter. "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.

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

It has been reported that the ICC have started an investigation into the incident.