Unfit, overweight, host team partied before World Cup

It also appears that, despite denials today from the United Cricket Board, certain factors of the reports went unheeded by the World Cup team management.

Three unnamed players failed to pass a fitness test before the Test series against Bangladesh — just before the world cup — and Allan Donald and Herschelle Gibbs were criticised for their lifestyle habits and for drinking too much and were warned about fitness levels. The complaint about Jacques Kallis was that he was not eating sufficiently and needed to improve his ‘lifestyle away from the game’.

More alarming, however, was how Rhodes was identified as an injury risk weeks before he broke his hand in the second match against Kenya at Potchefstroom.

There is criticism as well of all-rounder Andrew Hall, Lance Klusener and Charl Langeveldt. They were told to lose weight, while there was a complaint about Pollock’s addiction to sweets. He was told it was in his own interest and stamina levels if he cut down on eating chocolates.

The only two players in the side who were not criticised were Makhaya Ntini and Boeta Dippenaar, who satisfied Gray with their application and attitude. Gary Kirsten is not mentioned, which suggests he also passed muster.

There were also disruptive undercurrents over Pollock’s captaincy as the Test series against Pakistan wound down at Newlands several weeks before the tournament and these generally affected the squad’s psychological preparation. It also had the effect of souring the teambuilding process at a crucial stage of the World Cup build up. It was already felt in December that South Africa would be lucky to survive the first round.

Also signalled out by Gray is the current captain, 22-year-old Graeme Smith, who was one of those warned of his lifestyle and bad eating habits. Smith has also been criticised about his general behaviour by a couple of players who were in Zimbabwe with the South African A team as part of identifying World Cup players.

It is said he was ‘‘moody and rarely listened to advice’’ when it was sought. Reading into the two reports submitted to the UCB and which the coach Eric Simons and chief selector Omar Henry have seen but have yet to comment, it also suggests that the selection of the squad was badly handled. There is an inference that players monitored failed to heed the warnings of the fitness trainer and psychologist.

Although a UCB media release today suggests that Dr Gray was ‘‘satisfied with the players fitness at the time of the World Cup’’ this appears to be a cover-up for some of the more indigestible factors included in the report which was part of the National Cricket Council’s in-depth team discussions on March 27.

The discussions surrounded team fitness levels and player attitudes towards the fitness programme devised by Gray.

If the NCC are to take serious notice of the report they need to find out from the players why they ignored the advice of Gray, who said that he found it difficult to get some of the players to start their pre-World Cup training programme last winter.

‘‘I have provided documentation regarding the fitness levels of various players who have failed their tests and nothing has been done about it,’’ Gray complained in the report. ‘‘I have reached the stage where I feel that I have no authority over my area of expertise.’’

It was his opinion that future player contracts had to include fitness clauses stipulating standards and levels of physical well-being. What has upset Gray is that the three players who failed a fitness test in the build-up to the World Cup complained about the level of fitness work they were asked to do.

He has now demanded all players should be evaluated before future squads are announced and the unfit ones dropped. This, it is said, is the requirement that has been stipulated by the South African U-19 team management which is to tour England later this year.