Jennings casualty of Smoking Saga

There have been many 'casualties' of the dope smoking episode in Antigua but one you may not have heard about, and probably won't, is the team 'shrink', Ken Jennings.

Any brother of Ray may be expected to 'speak his mind' although Ken, as befits a man in his sensitive profession, has always been the model of calmness and serenity.

Until the dope-smoking 'thing'. Finding himself neither consulted nor informed until afterwards, Mr Jennings became agitated and upset and had plenty to say about how the guilty players should be treated and the effect they would have on the 'innocent' players.

What Mr.Jennings may have failed to appreciate is the fact that he did not form a part of the squad management team but was simply employed on a contract basis to assist with the preparation and well-being of the team.

Sadly, his reaction resulted in an almost immediate loss of faith and trust in him amongst several members of the squad and he may, unwittingly, have rendered himself unemployable when the time comes for a new contract.

Sports psychologists out there, prepare your CVs. Ken Jennings is excellent at what he does, he really is, but he may not be doing it with the SA national cricket team in future.

With speculation still running rife that it was Daryll Cullinan who broke the ring of silence and 'leaked' the story to the world a month after it had taken place, Jennings' position as team psychologist is even more awkward. Cullinan has been a personal client of his for several years.