Phangiso apologises for his behaviour

SOUTH AFRICAN spinner Aaron Phangiso yesterday apologised for his behaviour during a flight back home from India, late last year, saying that it was completely unbecoming of an ambassador of the country.

“There is no excuse for it, and I apologise to everyone that I have offended at the time, and everyone I have let down. I realise that we are ambassadors of South Africa, and role models, and we should not be acting like that in public,” he explained last night.

“We were celebrating a oneday series win in one of the toughest places to play, and I obviously had one too many drinks,” he continued.

“That still doesn’t justify my behaviour, and I know that I should conduct myself in the proper manner when representing the country, wherever we are in the world.

“Those of us who were in the ODI squad left early the next morning, and it was on the flight from Mumbai to Dubai that I behaved poorly. The Emirates staff in Dubai explained that I had to stay behind and sober up, and I completely understand their reasons,” the 31 year-old added.

Phangiso’s behaviour was relayed to team management, and the matter was dealt with internally last year, and Cricket South Africa clarified yesterday that his axing from the ODI squad to face England next month is not connected to the incident.

“We confirm that Aaron pleaded guilty to contravening our player code of conduct and has been sanctioned,” a statement said.

“We take disciplinary issues seriously, especially with our national players, who are important role models for our youth and ambassadors for our country,” the statement added.

Team management then explained that Phangiso, a regular squad member of the ODI and the T20 set-up over the last few years, hadn’t been picked for the latest one-day squad because they didn’t need three spinners in South African conditions.

Phangiso himself added that he was disappointed at not making the latest squad, but that he was looking to earn a recall through his domestic form.