Woolmer wants ball tampering rule scrapped

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cric...nd/5277488.stm

Woolmer wants ball rule scrapped

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has called for the scrapping of the law against ball-tampering in cricket.
Pakistan's tour of England is under threat after the side were penalised during the fourth Test at The Oval.

Woolmer targeted law 42.3, which prohibits rubbing the ball on the ground or interfering with any of the seams or the surface of the ball.

"Law 42.3 is an ass, brought in because of ball-tampering with razor blades and bottle tops in the past," he said.

"But that's been shoved out of the game now. I'd scrub out the law completely."

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Woolmer said he held his view long before his bowlers were accused of breaking the rule.

"I'd allow bowlers to use anything that naturally appears on the cricket field," he continued.

"They could rub the ball on the ground, pick the seam, scratch it with their nails - anything that allows the ball to move off the seam to make it less of a batsman's game."

Former England batsman Woolmer stood by his players' promise that they did nothing wrong during the fourth Test, which was awarded to England after a controversial forfeit.

And he took a discreet dig at umpire Darrell Hair, who only played the game up to senior club level in Australia.

"Every single bowler I know from the time I played in 1968 to 1984 was guilty, at least under the current law, of some sort of ball-changing," Woolmer added.

"If you haven't played the game, like a lot of the umpires haven't, they don't know these things."

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It's incredible to think that we get scrutinised for a bit of verbal, and yet here's someone who wants this to happen.

[ORDoubleBlues]

And he took a discreet dig at umpire Darrell Hair, who only played the game up to senior club level in Australia.

"Every single bowler I know from the time I played in 1968 to 1984 was guilty, at least under the current law, of some sort of ball-changing," Woolmer added.

"If you haven't played the game, like a lot of the umpires haven't, they don't know these things."

What's his excuse for former Test cricketer and match referee Barry Jarman then?

[noone]

also id imagine club cricketers are far better at ball tampering, its awfully hard to ball tamper when there are 40 cameras, bit easier when the crowd is a man and his dog

[heater31]

hands up whos guilty of the sunscreen under the hat trick