ECB-CSA bury hatchet over Pietersen remark

English official David Collier has backtracked on claims that South African players provoked Kevin Pietersen into sending controversial text messages, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Monday. Pietersen sent messages allegedly critical of some England team-mates during a mid-year Test, leading to him being dropped for the final match of a series won 2-0 by South Africa and the World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Collier later said in a radio interview that Pietersen had been set up by the Proteas, triggering fury and denials from South African players and officials. “Cricket South Africa has made it clear to ECB that the electronic messages were not part of any initiative or plan to undermine the England team or players,” said an ECB statement seen here. “ECB has unreservedly accepted that assurance and wishes to reiterate that it has no issue at all with CSA.”