gilmour later said, "when we first started playing world series cricket, i think we lost a lot of friends ... not player-wise, i don't think ... the players are ok. it's the officials that take a bit of swaying again... there were officials with the cricket association who i regarded as good friends and i had drinks with them whenever i was in sydney or whenever they were in newcastle. and they started treating me and the other players in wsc like lepers. i think that was the most hurtful thing of all. it was something that they didn't go along with and they just couldn't handle it".".