The recent revelations of marijuana-use by five of South Africa's
players should in no way diminish the success of their Caribbean trip.
Captain Shaun Pollock said yesterday that it was an internal matter
that had not overshadowed his team's capture of the Vivian Richards
and Cable & Wireless Trophies. It hasn't tarnished the win. We've put
it behind us, Pollock said.
It was an in-house thing that happened and you're going to have those
sort of things in teams. I think we have dealt with it properly and
we're not really worried about it.
Pollock was speaking a day after the United Cricket Board of South
Africa issued a statement in which it was revealed that Hershelle
Gibbs, Paul Adams, Roger Telemachus, Andre Nel, Justin Kemp and
physiotherapist Craig Smith were fined 10 000 rand (BDS$2 500) and
severely reprimanded for smoking marijuana in a hotel room in Antigua
on April 10.
It was just after South Africa had clinched the Test series against
the West Indies.
It's something that we dealt with as a team a month ago, Pollock said.
The actual fact that it came out wasn't going to rock the side because
we knew about it and we dealt with it. Just the fact that it was out
back home, maybe there might be a few comments flying around, but the
guys were motivated to come out and play well.
He was making reference to their emphatic victory by 53 runs in the
sixth One-Day International at the Queen's Park Oval yesterday.
It was yet another typically clinical performance from the South
Africans, who lead the One-Day series 5-1 following their 2-1 Test
series triumph.
It's been a brilliant effort by the guys on the tour and that's all we
were concentrating on to come here and win the One-Day series and the
Test series, the South Africa captain said.
That's never been done before. I think we did it in good style and
played some great cricket.