ECB apologizes to S Africa over Pietersen claim

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The England and Wales Cricket Board apologized Monday to South Africa over allegations Proteas players provoked Kevin Pietersen in the text message saga that saw him excluded from England's team.

ECB chief executive David Collier claimed South Africans instigated the exchange, where Pietersen made derogatory comments about his then-captain Andrew Strauss in messages to his rivals.

"Cricket South Africa has made clear to ECB that the electronic messages were not part of any initiative or plan to undermine the England team or players," the ECB said in a statement.

"ECB has unreservedly accepted that assurance and wishes to reiterate that it has no issue at all with CSA - or the Proteas players - on this matter and appreciates that the South African and England players follow the highest ethical standards of behavior."

Pietersen had been out of favor with England since being dropped for sending the provocative phone messages, which disrupted the unity of the team and left him an outcast.

And Collier's comments about the South Africans earlier this month came as the ECB announced a healing of its rift with Pietersen.

Despite the ECB and CSA announcing that they consider the matter closed - with Collier's apologizing for suggesting the South Africans "may have acted in a way which was underhand" - differences remain.

The ECB said that "the two boards do not agree on the sequence of events regarding any responses to messages between Kevin Pietersen and certain Proteas players."