England and South Africa bury hatchet – almost – over KP row
ENGLAND cricket officials have attempted to draw a line under their spat with South Africa over the Kevin Pietersen text message saga, but admit some differences remain unresolved.
South Africa chiefs were infuriated when David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), earlier this month accused Proteas players of deliberately provoking Pietersen.
The ECB yesterday said an apology had been accepted by their South African counterparts, but conceded that they remained at odds over how the episode, which threatened Pietersen’s England career, unfolded.
“Although the two boards do not agree on the sequence of events regarding any responses to messages between Kevin Pietersen and certain Proteas players, CSA and SACA accept Mr Collier’s apology based upon his earlier utterances that the team may have acted in a way which was underhand,” read an ECB statement. “Both CSA and ECB regard this matter as now closed.”
Pietersen is set to meet England coach Andy Flower today in London as he begins his reintegration to the camp, having been dropped for the final Test of the summer series against South Africa and then left out of the squad for this month’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.