Woolmer the Wright stuff? No, he says; BCCI echoes

The matter came up at the pre-match news conference, when team manager Jyoti Bajpai fielded the question. ‘‘As far as I know Woolmer has not been contacted’’, he said.

Woolmer is known, of course, for making the South African team the most hi-tech with the use of computers and other gadgets long before other teams adopted them. Ironically, it was a mess-up of simple mathematical calculations that got the same team out of this tournament.

Skipper Shaun Pollock and his deputy Mark Boucher were supposed to keep the score in the final overs against Sri Lanka and the helplessness of Nicky Boje while hovering around the boundary line trying to convey the all-important target to the men in middle is being felt by virtually every South African.

Woolmer, though obviously not crowing, doesn’t hesitate to point out that the ear piece which he’d gave to the Hansie Cronje in the last World Cup would have saved the day, had the officials not banned it.

As many would recalled it was in India’s first game of the World Cup ’99 that the late South African skipper had ear piece which he was asked to remove by the umpire.

Others are not so sanguine about South Africa’s elementary mistake. The letters section of various newspapers sees the current coach Eric Simons being charged with everything from being illiterate to dozing off in the dressing room at the crunch.

Peter, a lawyer with the South African police, is adamant: ‘‘Not knowing the ruling is no excuse.’’ Speaking in the lobby of this reporter’s hotel, he goes on to says that he has a passing interest in the game while his favourite sports are soccer and rugby. ‘‘When we play soccer we know that pushing someone in the penalty area one gives away a penalty kick. International cricketers saying that they are not aware of the rules is unpardonable,’’ he said.