ContinueDavid Collier thinks that South Africa players provoked the situation with Kevin Pietersen after the 32-year-old was left out of the final Investec Test between the two nations and then omitted from the ICC World Twenty20 squad.
Collier - the England and Wales Cricket Board Chief Executive – believes that KP was provoked and that the England team should have dealt with the situation better.
"It is a very thin line between fair and unfair.” Collier told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek. “These were responses to messages from certain members of the South Africa team and I would not condone an England player doing it if it was the other way around, and I certainly think they (South Africa) provoked the situation."
"There was definitely a policy that was happening but we shouldn't blame the South Africans, we should be above that," he continued.
"I think there was a tactic which was used. I think that is sadly some of the ways of modern sport but as I say we have plenty of people who are strong in the dressing room who provide very good leadership who can deal with those situations."
"Those messages were of a nature that Kevin, with definite hindsight, would have refuted straight away and moved on.
"It is trying to undermine another team and another team ethic.
"There would probably be mixed feelings (for South Africa). Certain feelings to say that maybe it worked, (there) might be other feelings that we actually might have disrupted a player and we would have been unhappy had it been one of ours."
