London: Graeme Swann was dressed in fireproof overalls and a crash helmet, appropriate equipment for the next round of pummelling from Kevin Pietersen’s controversial autobiography.

Swann was rehearsing at London’s Olympic Park on Wednesday for a complete departure from cricket to drive a 120mph rally car in next month’s Wales Rally GB, Britain’s biggest rally event. His thoughts were on cricket, though, and how the sport could have avoided the firestorm over Pietersen’s book by taking a more straightforward approach to the dismissal of England's maverick batsman.

Swann said that some of the incendiary comment on Pietersen's account could have been avoided by simply sacking the batsman from the Test squad on grounds of form.

When asked if Pietersen was on the wane during the 5-0 Ashes drubbing last winter in Australia, Swann said: “There might have been a cleaner way of doing things and there would certainly have been a lot less blood-letting. I have not been a stats fan but stats seem to suggest.”

“It is because someone is trying to sell a book at the moment,” Swann said. “In two weeks’ time, after the inevitable round of interviews has been done, no one will give a monkey’s. You can’t talk for other people but I think he has not done himself any favours in the long run.

“But Kev’s always been different. Certain things that have been led to believe didn’t happen. The very fact is that people have been interviewed and no one is supporting these claims.”