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Lorgat distressed by inquiry

Abu Dhabi - Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said on Friday he was distressed over having to face an inquiry into a dispute with India during his time as head of the International Cricket Council.

Lorgat, who served as ICC chief executive between 2008-11, became a bone of contention between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and CSA earlier this year.

India had threatened to cancel their tour to South Africa in December-January if CSA appointed Lorgat as their chief executive.

India eventually only agreed to a shortened tour - from three Tests, seven one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches to two Tests and three one-dayers - after an assurance from CSA that Lorgat would not be involved with matters related to India.

CSA stands to lose R200m because of the shortened tour.

The ICC has said that its ethics committee will hold an inquiry into allegations against Lorgat.

Relations between the two boards deteriorated as a result of reported BCCI anger at the way Lorgat had dealt with them during his ICC reign.

And the situation was inflamed further when David Becker, a former legal advisor to CSA, accused the BCCI - cricket's wealthiest national board and one on which other countries depend for finance as a result of lucrative broadcast income arising from India tours - of breaching rules regarding the ICC's Future Tours Programme.

"It is personally very distressing but I offered to be investigated because there was an allegation (against me). The less I say about this the better because the matter is sub judice," Lorgat told reporters.

"I am not aware of what happened at the ICC board meeting last month, whether (the matter) was raised or not. The CSA did what they believed was best," said Lorgat, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pakistan for a short tour to fill the gap created by the shortened Indian series.

Pakistan will play three one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches in South Africa between November 20-30.

Lorgat disagreed that the Pakistan tour would anger India.

"I don't see why it should. Pakistan were available and it's a bilateral arrangement between the two nations and we are simply delighted that we can get Pakistan to South Africa," said Lorgat.

Asked if the South Africa-India stand-off had threatened a break-up in the cricket world, Lorgat said: "I wouldn't want to comment on matters which I think should be reserved for the ICC Board, and it's not a matter on which I should comment on at this time."

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