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Symcox's June 7 testimony

CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MS BATOHI: Mr Symcox, I'm going to first deal with the 1996 offer in India. Do you recall - I have spoken to Bob Woolmer and he seems to recall he was present at that meeting. Do you recall whether he was there or not? Can you confirm that?

MR SYMCOX: Bob Woolmer was not at that meeting.

MS BATOHI: So he was not?

MR SYMCOX: He was not at that meeting. Would you put yours off? Thanks. Bob Woolmer wasn't at the meeting. Definitely not.

MS BATOHI: Do you recall that a suggestion was made that if the team agreed to this offer, that nobody was to know about it, including the wives of the members of the team? And that will be the evidence of one of your colleagues.

MR SYMCOX: I cannot recall that at all.

MS BATOHI: Is it correct that this offer was, notwithstanding the fact that you've painted this very bleak picture about what was going on at the end of the tour, which I suppose is understandable as well, but do you accept that this offer was seriously considered by the team?

MR SYMCOX: I wouldn't say 'seriously', but I you know, when somebody makes an offer to you, you listen to it the first time you're tainted with it or touched it, and then I don't believe that at the end of the day anybody would have taken the loot.

COMMISSIONER: Can I just interpose? Did you acknowledge that offer as being seriously made?

MR SYMCOX: Yes.

MS BATOHI: Did you at any stage ask Mr Cronje who had made that offer to him?

MR SYMCOX: No.

MS BATOHI: Weren't you curious to know where all this money was coming from?

MR SYMCOX: Yes.

MS BATOHI: So why didn't you ask him?

MR SYMCOX: I don't know.

MS BATOHI: Well, Mr Symcox, I find that strange. You were curious to know where this money was coming from, but you don't ask him and you don't know why you didn't. Can you explain that?

MR SYMCOX: Well obviously you find that strange. I - you know, again, it's a matter of opinion.

MS BATOHI: Well, I'm going to ask you the question again. You were curious to know where the money came from, but you didn't ask Mr Cronje at any stage who was - where this money was coming from. Now, I do find that strange. But that's just my opinion. But can you explain why you never asked him, notwithstanding the fact that you were curious about where it came from?

MR SYMCOX: We - I just assumed, like I guess most of the guys in the room, that it would have been from a syndicate that is involved in this kind of thing.

MS BATOHI: Did any other member of your team ask Mr Cronje where this money was coming from?

MR SYMCOX: Not that I can recall.

MS BATOHI: Did any members of the team at any stage, amongst yourselves whether in the presence of Mr Cronje or not, talk about where this money was coming from?

MR SYMCOX: Well, we assumed it was from a syndicate of some sort, whether it's bookmakers or people that are involved in betting on games, because that has been the general chat around cricket the world. So if somebody said he'd got an offer to throw a game, you would assume it wouldn't be from the Prime Minister. It would be from a betting syndicate, or a bookmaker, or a - or a something.

MS BATOHI: But no one ever ask Mr Cronje where it was in fact coming from?

MR SYMCOX: Not in my presence, and I didn't.

MS BATOHI: A lot has been spoken about perhaps in the media and amongst people, about whether Hansie Cronje ought not to have dismiss this offer outright when it was first made without actually bringing it to the team's attention and discussing it as such. What's your views on that?

MR SYMCOX: Well, I guess, again as you said, 'What's my view', it's not necessarily the correct view, but maybe at that point in time, it was our first trip to India in a Test Series, and it was certainly Hansie's first time as Captain in a Test Series on a tough tour, and he's a young guy, you know, he might have made an error of judgement by not dismissing it out of hand straightaway. But like any of us, he would have found it interesting, I've no doubt, to hear we'd made an offer.

So maybe he should have dismissed it, but on the other hand, I would have been disappointed to find out today that Hansie had been made an offer on behalf of the team, dismissed it and didn't tell us.

COMMISSIONER: Surely that would have been the proper thing to do. Just to dismiss it out of hand and tell whoever was making the offer to get out.

MR SYMCOX: And then to tell us that he'd done it. That he'd had an offer to make - and then maybe that's probably the right way to have gone at that time. But you have to understand that - you know, South Africa had got back into international cricket in 1992. Our first tour was in 1993. So really, we were finding our way at that time. The guys that you see in the team today were young guys, finding our way in the sub-continent.

MS BATOHI: You've stated that it isn't very wise to speculate, and perhaps you're right, with the benefit of hindsight, but if one looks at your statement, EXHIBIT A, on page 8, paragraph 9.2, you say:

"I readily admit that I have from time-to-time speculated on decisions made by Hansie Cronje during his tenure as Captain."

And then you go on to say:

"I have, indeed, questioned certain of his decisions."

Now what are those decisions that you've questioned?

MR SYMCOX: Well, I mean, I sit in my lounge and I watch cricket. I am entitled to question any decision that - as anyone in this room is allowed to question. And if that's speculation, then it's speculation, you know? But maybe what I was trying to say to you was if you speculate on a game of cricket and I speculate on a game of cricket, I've got a pretty good chance of being - knowing what's - getting it right, better then you have.

MS BATOHI: I know you are entitled to speculate about things, but I'm looking at your statement. And paragraph 9.2 says:

"I have, indeed, questioned certain of his decisions."

So what I'd like you to enlighten this Commission on is what are some of those decisions that you have questioned, and let the Commission decide whether there's anything to make of it or not. What decisions have you questioned?

MR SYMCOX: Well, you know, there was an article that I'd given an interview a little while ago, and I was asked what I thought of the World Cup, and of course I questioned certain issues, i.e. whether we batted first or bowled first, whether the batting order should have been what it was, who should be left out, who batted where. But those are legitimate speculation, from somebody who's been in the team for quite a while and knows how the system works, and finds that certain decisions were different to what I would have made had I been the Captain. So that's - that is where I speculated. I think that's the point that I was meaning.

MS BATOHI: You've been asked to comment on the fifth One-day International against India, where Derek Crookes opened the bowling. And according to your statement, you say you cannot understand why this has been made an issue. Now perhaps the reason why it has become an issue is because the transcripts of the tape, which we all know about, refers to that, to the fact that Crookes will be opening the bowling in that particular match. And what would you now say if Crookes himself comes and testifies that the was in fact himself surprised, because he'd been told that he will not be opening the bowling. He will not be considered for opening the bowling. Now with hindsight, what do you think about that decision?

MR SYMCOX: Again, what Derek Crookes says about whether he opened the bowling nor not, I don't know and have never discussed it with him. Sure, the transcripts might have said whatever they did. I wasn't even aware of that. All I was asked on did I find it strange that Derek Crookes opened the bowling. Certainly wasn't, because I'd done it many times, so why would I think it strange?

MS BATOHI: You've commented about the fact that you knew this person, Cassim Banjo, or Hamied Cassim, also known as 'Banjo'. Can you comment on his relationship with Mr Cronje?

MR SYMCOX: No, I can't.

MS BATOHI: Why is that?

MR SYMCOX: I don't know anything about a relationship with him and Hansie Cronje.

MS BATOHI: I've no further questions.

NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS BATOHI

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