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Collier's Pietersen comments rile South Africa

David Collier's comments have angered the South African board © PA Photos

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ECB chief executive David Collier's suggestion that members of the South Africa squad "provoked" Kevin Pietersen into the exchange of messages that led to him being dropped by England has angered Cricket South Africa (CSA) but it will not be taking legal action against the England board.

On Sunday, Collier said the belief was the affair was instigated by the South Africans as a tactic to unsettle Pietersen. "That's our understanding," he told the BBC. "It's a very thin line between fair and unfair. These were responses to messages from certain members of the South Africa team and I wouldn't condone an England player doing it if it was the other way around, and I certainly think they provoked the situation."

Acting CSA chief executive Jacques Faul said: "This is absolute rubbish. What's 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.

"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."

An earlier report in the Daily Mail had quoted a senior source inside CSA as saying legal action was being considered in the light of Collier's comments but ESPN has learned this is not the case.

The genral consensus is that Collier's comments were little more than the ECB looking to justify the recall of Pietersen.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.