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Change Your Life! |
South Africa begin Australian tour |
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August 13, 2000
BRISBANE (AP) - Skipper Shaun Pollock says winning the upcoming limited-overs series against Australia will help South Africa regain public confidence in the wake of the cricket corruption scandal. The South African team arrived Saturday in Brisbane to tune up for three one-dayers, scheduled to be played under the roof at Melbourne's Colonial Stadium, from Aug. 16-20. Pollock said morale in the team was high despite the timing of the tour. A commission of inquiry on Friday presented its interim report into the Hansie Cronje bribery scandal to the South African government. The inquiry, headed by retired judge Edwin King, centered on admissions by Cronje, a former national team captain, that he accepted more than U.S. dlrs 100,000 in bribes from bookmakers since 1996. Two other players, Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, have also admitted to being offered money by Cronje to play below their best in matches against India this year. Sports Minister Nconde Balfour said King's report, which did not contain any recommendations, would be made public once South African President Thabo Mbeki had read it. The United Cricket Board of South Africa has scheduled a disciplinary hearing Aug. 19 for the three players in Johannesburg. "If we can win this it will go a long way to help people who have been feeling miserable about what has happened," Pollock told a press conference in Brisbane. "I think it's only a matter of time before they can rally behind us 100 per cent again ... maybe once the report is out it can be totally forgotten about." Pollock admitted that cricket's reputation had been tarnished since the scandal broke several months ago but said his team was intent on beating the world champion Australians and erasing any further suspicion. |