Woolmer stumped on 'tampering' controversy

Woolmer, whose Pakistan team have been at the centre of the furore which has rocked their sport over the last two weeks, believes players should be allowed to use their fingernails to alter the state of a ball in pursuit of swing.

He is also critical of the law which governs what is fair and unfair with regard to changing the condition of the ball, how umpires should enforce the rules and the five-run penalty available to them.

It was that punishment which led to the abandonment of the fourth Test at The Oval last month and kickstarted a chain of events which has left Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq awaiting a hearing for ball-tampering and bringing cricket into disrepute - not to mention the intrigue surrounding umpire Darrell Hair.

Woolmer has spoken out just as it seemed cricket - Pakistan are preparing for the second match of the NatWest Series against England at Lord's tomorrow - was beginning to push the controversy, temporarily at least, to the back of the agenda.

"I think the ball should swing, and it doesn't really matter how - as long as you are not using external implements, like razor blades or bottle tops," said the Pakistan coach.

"Fingers, sweat and everything else mean the ball should swing - otherwise it becomes totally a batsman's game."

Unfair play

Much of what Woolmer alludes to is allowed under the laws of cricket - but he would also sanction players using their fingernails on the ball.

"Nails are part of the body. You need to get this into a proper perspective and discuss it at length," he said.

"If you can encourage the ball to swing that, I think, is good for the game of cricket. It is good for the art of the game of cricket."

Woolmer is not alone in his fears that the balance between bat and ball has, to the detriment of his sport, become dangerously weighted towards the former - thanks to improved technology, shorter boundaries and covered pitches.

He also finds the tone and letter of the law problematic. "I think if you look at Law 42 (3) it is a bit autocratic," he suggested. "It needs to be looked at in terms of how you approach the fact that you think the ball is being tampered with."

He prescribes more leeway to be made available to the umpires if they begin to suspect unfair play. "I think if it had been treated a little bit differently, being a bit more at ease with players, that would help. I think that law needs to be re-written."

It is unlikely Woolmer will be able to discuss his thoughts with the International Cricket Council before Inzamam's hearing - which is thought likely to take place at the end of this month.

But he would nonetheless welcome the opportunity to do so. "If anyone is prepared to listen, I'm prepared to chat. If we want to discuss those sorts of things let's get a forum to do it," he urged.

As for Pakistan's prospects at Lord's tomorrow, and in the three remaining NatWest matches after that, Woolmer has reason for optimism.

Psychological motivating

The tourists, who beat England in a Twenty20 match at Bristol and were in a favourable position when rain intervened in the first one-day international at Cardiff two days ago, are back to full strength following their summer of injuries.

"I am very encouraged by our performances. We have fielded well, certainly bowled well - I'm not sure how well we've batted yet," he said, referring to the fact his team had only seven overs to reply to England's 202 all out before the weather had the last say in Wales.

He reports Pakistan very intent on showing their true worth in this limited-overs series - subscribing to the notion that they may be all the more focused because of the ball-tampering verdict against them which was described initially by board chairman Shaharyar Khan as a "slur" on both team and country.

"What has happened in the past we want to put behind us," said Woolmer. "Cricket is the most important thing for all of us at the moment, and we will be concentrating on that.

"But I suppose it is an interesting psychological motivating factor for the team. They are very determined and are playing some very good cricket. This is an interesting time in Pakistan's cricket history."