Sport - Cricket

Woolmer ready to help South Africa

LONDON June 3. Former South African coach Bob Woolmer has said he is prepared to return to the post on a short-term basis after the sacking of Graham Ford.

Woolmer, whose contract as Warwickshire's director of coaching is up for renewal at the end of the current English county season, told BBC Sport Online: ``I've had five years as a coach for the South African team. But if they wanted me to help for a period of time then I would certainly look at it. I don't think I would do it for a long period, but if I was needed in the short term I could be persuaded.''

The United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) sacked Ford on Saturday, the same day that Hansie Cronje, the team's captain under Woolmer, was killed in a plane crash.

Woolmer, however, who made his name as one of the sport's most innovative coaches when in South Africa, said he doubted he would be approached, adding: ``I think they would have contacted me a long time ago if they were interested in my services. I think Graham Ford has been hard done by. He had a contract to the end of the World Cup and I can't see why that's been stopped now.''

Ford guided South Africa to seven series wins after taking over from Woolmer in 1999 and had been contracted until after the World Cup, which begins in February and which South Africa will host.

Woolmer, 54, who played 19 Tests for England, is under contract to assist the non-Test playing nations such as Namibia and Kenya at the World Cup.

Woolmer believes the UCBSA are mulling over three main candidates for the permanent position. Of them, Eric Simons, 40, the highly successful coach of Western Province, may emerge as a front-runner with Northern Transvaal's David Nosworthy and West Indian Eldine Baptiste, the KwaZulu-Natal coach, the outsiders.— Reuters

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