When Hansie stumped the umpires (14 Feb 1998)

14 Feb 1998

When Hansie stumped the umpires

Trevor Chesterfield

Centurion - Hansie Cronje's image as a cool, calm and totally collected captain has taken a nasty knock.

Revelations are that he was the culprit who speared a stump through the umpires dressingroom door at the end of the third Test at the Adelaide Oval earlier this month.

And a shame-faced Cronje has written a letter of apology to the Australian Cricket Board over an incident which the South African captain and Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board (of SA) says the "matter is now closed".

Dr Bacher made known that it was Cronje who shoved the stump through the umpires dressingroom door, after a frustrating, if controversial final day's play of the game which ended in a draw. No action will be taken against Cronje, and this includes incurring a possible fine.

"The whole matter is now closed," Dr Bacher said. Which is one way of looking at it, although hee declined to say whether the UCB are paying for a new door to the dressingroom.

"Hansie and I spoke about it before the team left Australia and again after he arrived back, and he apologised profusely over the incident," Dr Bacher commented.

"It was done in a moment of frustration, profound disappointment and tension after the game. Hansie committed an injudicious act and has acknowledged it. He is very apologetic about it," the UCB MD said.

Cronje sent a letter of apology to the ACB the day he arrived in South Africa.

"It certainly wasn't a decision we (UCB) forced on him forced on him," Dr Bacher added.

It appears the incident was sparked by the umpires ruling not to give Mark Waugh out after dislodging the bail with his bat shortly after being hit on the shoulder by a Shaun Pollock delivery. South Africa's top umpires have said that under the law the younger Waugh twin was out.

What was interesting was how Pat Symcox was taken through the 10 dropped catches in the Test when interviewed on the weekly cricket programme co-hosted by Mike Haysman, the former South Australian batsman. The grizzled, trench-fighter image Symcox desports on the field was gone; he squirmed with embarrassment when shown each fielding misdemeanour: several were of his own making.

Little wonder Cronje said that it was hard enough taking 20 Aussie wickets but trying to take 30 was 10 too many.

Trevor Chesterfield Cricket writer Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za