Kruger supports Bosman over Arthur remarks

Garnett Kruger, the latest to leave South Africa for England under the Kolpak ruling, has supported Loots Bosman's claims against Mickey Arthur, the coach of the South African team.

"The players are badly treated. They did it to me, they did it to Robin Peterson, and now they're doing it to Loots Bosman," Kruger told the Star,a Johannesburg newspaper. "We know it's wrong but in the past we didn't want to make a big fuss about it ... I don't want to keep quiet anymore. We're tired of stuff being swept under the carpet."

Bosman is due to face a Cricket South Africa (CSA) disciplinary hearing for calling Arthur "a liar" after the coach said that he was unfit to play in the ICC World Twenty20. On September 4, Bosman was withdrawn from the squad because of a back injury that the CSA medical report said would need a rest period of six weeks. This did not go down well with Bosman, who insisted he was fine.

"They've lied to Loots about his fitness, just like they lied to me in Australia about getting to play," Kruger said. He said Arthur told him that his "chance would come" before the Test series on South Africa's last tour to Australia.

"I had had a good domestic season, and I thought I was in with a chance of playing, especially as there were so many injuries, but they tell you you'll get a chance, then you don't, it's all lies."

Kruger said he noticed on the tour how a clique of senior players ran the team. "You could see they were not just friends, they were running the team, all trying to keep each other there."

Kruger indicated his disappointment at not getting enough opportunities to play for South Africa. "Lots of guys get lots of chances, I didn't get that. I was supposed to fly home after the Test series in Australia, then I was told to stay because of all the injuries. Then, when the matches came around, they picked a guy ahead of me who they had flown over.

They just keep messing you around and CSA can see that they're messing people around but they don't do anything Garnett Kruger Click here for details

"After a game in Hobart the coach said he would talk to me, but that didn't happen then and it still hasn't happened even now.

"When we got home for the return Test series, I was again picked in the squad. I didn't play and then for the New Zealand series that followed they called me up for the first Test. I spent a day with the squad and was told I could go," Kruger said. "They just keep messing you around and CSA can see that they're messing people around but they don't do anything.

"They should look into the matter. I don't think they will do anything as they are in a nice comfort zone and they want everything to appear okay for the World Cup," he said. "I still want to play for my country, I work hard in the nets, I go to gym and I want to do well for Gauteng but I think at the moment I won't get that chance."

South African cricket has been embroiled in controversies, especially regarding team dissension, since the end of the July, when fitness trainer Adrian le Roux's confidential report, that mentioned the use of alcohol within the team, was revealed in the Wisden Cricketer. Following that, Jacques Kallis quit the vice-captaincy of the team when he was omitted from the Twenty20 squad and Mark Boucher was docked 60% of his match fees for the upcoming tournament for criticising the CSA for keeping Kallis out of the squad.