/ 8 May 1999

Donald speaks his mind

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Hove | Thursday 10.00am.

EXTRACTS, or rather “adaptations,” from South African pace bowler Allan Donald’s autobiography published in The Express this week have apparently raised more than a few hackles.

Donald, in three printed extracts has taken to task the England team, West Indian captain Brian Lara and England allrounder Dominic Cork. And he hasn’t minced any words in the process.

Donald, however, says the problem is that the paper has “spiced up” his comments from the book, and that he meant no offense. The autobiography White Lightning goes on sale next Monday.

The star felt he had nothing to apologise for, but expressed his regrets if the printed versions were “a little over the top”, especially the piece on Brian Lara, in which it was reported that Donald had “lost all respect” for the West Indies captain.

The root of the problem, he explained, was that where certain chapters had, at his insistence, been toned down the extracts had been lifted from the original draught.

Meanwhile Sussex coach Peter Moores has two good reasons for wanting his men to excel against South Africa at Hove on Friday: firstly because he is in the process of moulding a young side into a winning combination and secondly because he once played alongside Hansie Cronje and Allan Donald for Free State.

“I had a couple of years in Bloemfontein when, I think, Joubert Strydom was captaining so it would be nice to put one over on Hansie and Allan,” he quipped.