Johannesburg: South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith has been chosen for the ‘Mampara of the Week’ title from a leading newspaper here, joining top politicians and businessmen who get the dubious but widely acclaimed title each week.
‘Mampara’, an indigenous colloquial word, roughly translates as ‘idiot’.
“Our mampara cricket captain just doesn’t get it about having to say sorry,” Sunday Times weekly said.
Smith did not return to the country with his teammates after South Africa crashed out of the World Cup by losing to New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
“Having failed to pitch up with the rest of the team, who had to face the music when it was at its loudest, Biff (nickname for Smith), thought he could get away with a wishy-washy apology in which the word “sorry” never appeared.
“Not once,” the weekly said.
Smith had gone directly to Ireland from India to propose to his girlfriend, pop star Morgan Deane.
He, then came back to India to play in the IPL. (PTI)