London: The saga of Kevin Pietersen's extraordinary exit from the international arena took a fresh twist Friday when the England and Wales Cricket Board and its managing director, Paul Downton, apologised for criticism of the batsman made by the former England wicketkeeper.

Downton appeared on BBC Radio's Test Match Special programme on May 22 and during the course of a wide-ranging interview went into details about England's controversial decision to ditch former captain Pietersen following the team's 5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia.