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| March 20, 2007 | Tuesday | Safar 30, 1428 |
South African greats pay tribute to Woolmer
JOHANNESBURG, March 19: South African cricket greats lined up to pay tribute to their former coach Bob Woolmer on Monday following his shock death at the World Cup in the West Indies while in charge of Pakistan.
Woolmer, who coached the Proteas between 1994 and 1999, was hailed as an outstanding innovator who enjoyed an impressive track record under his leadership after they came in from the cold in the post-apartheid era.
Gary Kirsten, the record run-scorer in South Africa's Test cricket history, said Woolmer had been key to the success of his career.
“He was an outstanding coach. He introduced a new level to the standards of one-day cricket in particular ... This is an awful shock,” he told The Star newspaper.
“I have so many good memories of those five years in the 1990s and Bob is central to them.
Dr Ali Bacher, the former head of the South African cricket board who appointed Woolmer, said that the ex-England Test player was the stand-out coach during his time in South Africa.
“During the five-year period that he was our coach between 1994 to 1999 he was unquestionably the outstanding coach in world cricket. He was the most innovative, he was the most progressive,” said Bacher.
“He was the first to use technology – laptops and video recordings – for his work. At the 1999 World Cup in England, we were the best team and he was the coach. I am terribly saddened by this news. I cannot believe it.”
Woolmer, who became coach of Pakistan in 2004, continued to live in Cape Town after leaving the Proteas.
His resignation in 1999 came after South Africa were knocked out of the World Cup in England following a last-ball run-out of fast bowler Allan Donald in a tied match against Australia.
Donald, who also played under Woolmer at English county side Warwickshire, said his mentor had been the arch professional.
“He was a very, very close friend, actually more than as a coach,” he told the Cricinfo website.
“Bob was an extremely professional man, was an extremely soft person, gave his life to cricket and probably paid for it.”—AFP
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