http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KP-Pietersen-c1806 fined for Twitter comments against Knight- Cricket News Update
England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been fined an undisclosed amount for having publicly criticised Nick Knight (former England batsman turned Sky Sports commentator) on Twitter, for which action he was summoned to a disciplinary hearing presided over by the managing director of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Flower-c44362, the team director.
Pietersen, whose inclusion in the national ODI squad was questioned by Knight when he was undergoing a lean patch earlier, tweeted his incredulity regarding Knight’s appointment as a commentator for Test cricket. Knight has 23.96 in 17 Tests with one century to his credit, while Pietersen is a veteran of 84 Tests, with 20 Test centuries to his name.
“Can somebody please tell me how Nick Knight has worked his way into the commentary box for the Tests?? Ridiculous,” read the right-hander’s tweet.
The remarks touched a nerve with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which had negotiated a deal worth £280 million ($440 million) with Sky earlier this year, selling the network the right to broadcast international and County cricket matches live for four years, with an additional option to extend the deal by a further two years.
The deal constitutes most of the ECB’s income, and the board came down hard on Pietersen for having acted against its interests.
“The hearing considered recent comments made by Pietersen on Twitter to be prejudicial to the interests of the ECB and a breach of the England player conditions of employment in relation to clauses regarding public statements,” read a statement by the board.
“Pietersen has been fined an undisclosed sum, part of which has been suspended for 12 months, in accordance with the terms and conditions of his England central contract.”
The incident marks Pietersen’s second slip-up on Twitter. He had earlier posted an explicit reaction to having been dropped from the ODI squad in 2010, which he maintained had originally been meant as a private message intended for a friend.
However, when asked to comment on whether he would be quitting Twitter, the 31-year-old insisted that he was bent on continuing.
“No, not at all, no. I won't stop, no,” he said.
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