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Woolmer loses his cool
Bob Woolmer was involved in a heated exchange with a Pak journalist on Friday, with the coach objecting to an article, reports Jaideep Ghosh.
Bob Woolmer was involved in a heated exchange with a Pakistani journalist on Friday night, with the coach objecting to an article.
The clash in the Taj Samudra hotel occurred when Woolmer, with team manager Haroon Rasheed in tow, went to tender his protest.
The chat turned brusque as the reporter refused to give explanations. As voices were raised, Woolmer too lost his cool, and told the scribe he was not helping Pakistan cricket by such writings.
Woolmer and Rasheed were told to approach the newspaper authorities if they had a problem.
A report in a leading Pakistani newspaper on Friday morning claimed team members in Colombo were violating discipline with impunity.
"...it is quite evident here that the team management has no control over off-the-field activities of players, especially senior players," the article says.
"It is not unusual to see Pakistani players frequenting the bar after midnight and loitering aimlessly around facilities of the five-star hotel where they are staying. Haroon Rasheed... seems to be scared of the players power and just looks the other way..."
Woolmer asked who the players visiting the bar were, but got no reply. He was also upset about reports criticising his handling of the loss in the game against Sri Lanka.
"The coach did not take the humiliation on his own chin and placed the entire blame on the players. Woolmer's choice of words against the dismissals of Inzamam, Youhana and Nazir were not only insulting but also gave a hint of suggestion that they deliberately threw wickets.
"...never has the coach degraded the players so distastefully in front of the world media," the article added.
"Surely, it did not go well... already there seems a cold war between coach and captain on the tour. Inzamam has not attended any of the last five press conferences alongside Woolmer."
Last seen, Woolmer and Rasheed were walking away in a huff.
THEN SAYS 'NO PROBLEM'
Woolmer tried to dosmiss talks of indiscipline and conflicts. "They're absolutely fantastic, the best disciplined side I've worked with," Woolmer said on Saturday.
"Everyone is punctual and arrives for functions on time, follow the prescribed diet. One or two may have overslept for a swimming session in the morning, that's not serious, but the discipline is exemplary." (AP)
