CSA rejects English allegations over Pietersen issue

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has strongly condemned allegations by the England and Wales Cricket Board CEO, David Collier, that South African players had instigated the text message row involving the ECB and Kevin Pietersen.

"This is absolute rubbish," commented CSA Acting CEO Jacques Faul in a strongly worded statement, which also said that it rejected the allegations "with contempt". "What is particularly disappointing is that I had a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Collier when I was in London for the Lord`s Test match. He did not raise this allegation with me then and I would have thought as a matter of courtesy and decency he would have spoken to me about it before going public in the Media," he added. Further expressing his displeasure, Faul said, "It is not the way CSA goes about its business and it is not the way the ECB have done business with us in the past either. "It is very disappointing because in the past our relationships with the ECB have always been cordial and constructive. "This is an internal ECB matter in which we do not wish to be involved. It served as a distraction to our players that we did not need during the Test series." Pietersen was excluded from the England squad for the tour of South Africa after he allegedly sent text messages with negative remarks about his English teammates to some of his former team members of the Proteas side. PTI