The England and Wales Cricket Board apologizedMonday to South Africa over allegations Proteas players provoked KevinPietersen in the text message saga that saw him excluded from England's team.
ECB chief executive David Collier claimed South Africansinstigated the exchange, where Pietersen made derogatory comments about histhen-captain Andrew Strauss in messages to his rivals.
"Cricket South Africa has made clear to ECB that theelectronic messages were not part of any initiative or plan to undermine theEngland team or players," the ECB said in a statement.
"ECB has unreservedly accepted that assurance andwishes to reiterate that it has no issue at all with CSA — or the Proteasplayers — on this matter and appreciates that the South African and Englandplayers follow the highest ethical standards of behavior."
Pietersen had been out of favor with England since beingdropped for sending the provocative phone messages, which disrupted the unityof the team and left him an outcast.
And Collier's comments about the South Africans earlier thismonth came as the ECB announced a healing of its rift with Pietersen.
Despite the ECB and CSA announcing that they consider thematter 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 thesequence of events regarding any responses to messages between Kevin Pietersenand certain Proteas players."