Strauss 'has KP's support'

Strauss was handed the captaincy for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies after Pietersen stepped down on Wednesday in the wake of his row with coach Peter Moores, who was sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board following a week of fevered speculation.

Pietersen has vowed to play on despite the recent furore, and Strauss told a press conference shown on Sky Sports: "I've spoken to Kevin a couple of times already. He's in a very tough situation, he's got some stuff to deal with at the moment. I know him well, he's a good mate. He said he will support me, and I believe he will."

Pietersen's departure from the role he had held for a matter of months came against the backdrop of widespread reports that he had lost the support of a divided dressing room.

But Strauss insisted: "My experience of the dressing room is that they have always got on well and I don't think anything has happened to change that.

"We've got strong characters and you want that. My job is to manage them and make sure we're going in the right direction together. With the characters in the team I believe strongly we can do that."

Strauss also expressed his sympathy for Moores, saying: "Peter Moores put a huge amount of effort and enthusiasm into taking the team forward. No-one likes to see things end in this manner. He's shown a lot of integrity and I don't think he deserves to go out in this fashion."

The Middlesex batsman revealed that he had yet to talk with the ECB about the possibility of taking over as England's one-day international captain.

"I am going to have a meeting with the selectors. Clearly there are issues. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that I haven't been involved in the one-day squad for the last 12 or 18 months," he said.

"We need to discuss what we need to do and we need to work out what's best for the team, and how we can best perform."