/ 22 June 2000

BACHER KNEW ABOUT 1996 OFFER — WOOLMER

FORMER South African cricket coach Bob Woolmer has cast doubts on the credibility of United Cricket Board chief Dr Ali Bacher, saying in the Daily Telegraph that Bacher knew about a fixing offer made to the team in 1996. The offer, made in Bombay to the tune of $250000, was the first to come to light and Woolmer said that ”speculation abounds as to who knew what and what should have been done in Bombay”. Woolmer says that he was told about the offer after being ”pulled out of my sickbed.” Woolmer also insists that he passed the information on the offer on to Bacher, who has denied this under oath. woolmer says that Bacher ”a very busy man” must have forgotten about it. Woolmer adds that ”betting and match-fixing was in its infancy” and said that it was, as former wicketkeeper Dave Richardson said, ”rather exciting to have been approached.”