Hailstones, cyclonic hitting from Chris Cairns and Lou Vincent, and some searing pace bowling from Andre Adams all thwarted their progress. But South Africa’s cricketers have weathered a series of storms in Sydney today to defeat New Zealand by six wickets and deservedly be crowned VB Series champions for 2001-02.That the match began in sunny conditions – rather than the bleak ones which had been forecast – was initially a prospect towarm the hearts of New Zealand’s supporters. For any kind of cancellation would have been a disastrous blow to their team’saspirations of pegging back a 1-0 deficit in these best-of-three deciders.Yet they would ultimately have preferred for Sydney’s near-ceaseless rain to have wiped out the match entirely.Because the domination of the South African pace attack over a shaky New Zealand upper order was again transparent as soonas the match commenced.A mid-afternoon downpour that mixed rainfall of varying power with thunder and lightning (as well as a galaxy of milky-white hailstones, some as big as golf balls in dimension) arrived to provide welcome respite for as many as 91 minutes. But, by that time, the Black Caps’ line-up had all but imploded in any case.After Vincent (43) and Nathan Astle (7) were forced into eating up 25 consecutive dot balls at the start of the innings, the latterlost patience to swing a catch off Shaun Pollock (1/24) to deep square leg. Therein, he set the trend for batting that was neverdisciplined enough to suit the circumstances.Adams (1), promoted to the number three slot, nibbled at a Makhaya Ntini (1/45) leg cutter to offer a catch thatwicketkeeper Mark Boucher claimed spectacularly to his right. Vincent, after a flurry of thrilling strokes, lobbed a ball to wide midon; Stephen Fleming (17) was brilliantly caught at short fine leg; and Craig McMillan (0) top edged with a pull to mid wicket.Fleming’s victory at the toss represented not so much a prize as a poisoned chalice. Half of his batting line-up had been wipedout in less than 16 overs.All-rounder Cairns (57) replied to the crisis with customary aplomb and received fine support from that other beacon of middleorder defiance, Chris Harris (31), as the pair mounted a plucky 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket.But, all around them, wickets were crashing with a haste that was indecent for a finals match.After Harris was trapped lbw, Adam Parore (0) chipped a catch to mid wicket; Daniel Vettori (3) was caught shuffling across thecrease by Allan Donald (3/29); James Franklin (0) was deceived by a perfect inswinger, and Cairns drove a catch to long on fromJacques Kallis (3/23) with as many as 29 deliveries still available.South African bowlers twice found themselves on hat-tricks: Lance Klusener (2/30) firing Harris and Parore back to the pavilionfrom successive balls before Donald condemned Vettori and Franklin to the same predicament.Cairns and Vincent bravely attempted to hit their team out of trouble, the latter even launching two of the most extraordinaryshots of the series in the process – one used to hoist a full delivery from Pollock over the mid on fence with a belligerent driveand the second inspiring the same result with a pull from head height at Ntini.But the necessary support to take the total beyond a paltry 175 never arrived.It couldn’t be said that their bowling at either end of the innings necessarily won them the series. Because there were, in truth,a range of factors which led to their triumph. Yet it all but ensured that the Proteas couldn’t lose it. It was another magnificentalliance of sustained pace and unerring control.As they chased a revised target of 172 from a maximum 46 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method, the South Africans’ victoryplans were briefly threatened by a fine early spell from Adams (2/33). The young right armer from Auckland exploited variablebounce from a grassless and surprisingly dry pitch, teasing Kallis (10) into outside edging with an off drive and then forcing anaggressive Herschelle Gibbs (46) to inside edge back into his stumps.But he lost a chance to seize a third wicket when Boeta Dippenaar (29) – with his score at 3 – cut through the hands of Harris inthe gully. It was effectively the end of the contest too.Joined by Jonty Rhodes (61*), Dippenaar proceeded to form one half of a 73-run fourth wicket alliance that masterfully poweredthe Proteas toward their win – one ultimately achieved with a whopping 47 deliveries to spare.While there were as many as 30,684 spectators at the ground to see it, the finish of the match was not quite played out amidthe electrical atmosphere that it might have deserved. All the same, though, the South Africans stormed to the line in a mannerthat befitted their status as the best team of the series.

The uncapped pair of opening batsman Devon Smith and wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert have been named among a group of five players who will train with the West Indies team at their 2003 World Cup preparatory camp in Antigua, starting January 12.Left-hander Smith, aged 21, and Hibbert, aged 22, as well as international caps Daren Ganga, Ryan Hinds and Daren Powell will attend the two-week camp along with the 15-member squad named last Saturday."Effectively, these five players have been short-listed by the Selection Committee in case any member of the original 15 is unable to participate in the 2003 World Cup," remarked Michael Hall, chief cricket operations officer of the West Indies Cricket Board.Smith has emerged as one of the bright batting prospects in the region following two solid seasons in the West Indies first-class championship, and outings with the Young West Indies and West Indies A-Teams.Hibbert is one of the young candidates the selectors have been eyeing to fill the role of `keeper in the future. This is not the first time he has been invited to train with the senior team.West Indies, World Cup champions in 1975 and 1979, meet host South Africa in the opening match of the competition and Pool B in Cape Town on February 9. The other five teams in Pool B are Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Kenya, Bangladesh and Canada.

The chasm in class that exists between Australia and England was laid bare before a rapturous full house in the first final of the VB series in Sydney.After shooting out the tourists for just 117, Australia made a succulent meal of the chase, passing the target in an almost incredible 12 overs and two balls, without losing a wicket. Adam Gilchrist, not content with six scalps during England’s innings, produced something sensational even by his exalted standards to complete what amounted to a mismatch.Gilchrist had promised something special before the game, but this was better than special. He ran England’s bowlers ragged from the outset, pummelling Andrew Caddick on either side of the ground for five fours from six deliveries in his third over. Nor was there any escape for James Anderson, as Australia romped to 55 without loss from the first six overs. When Matthew Hoggard replaced Caddick, his first two deliveries disappeared through extra cover and third man.It is almost impossible to imagine a more brutal onslaught. Shuffle his field though he might, Nasser Hussain had no answers. To the delight of the crowd, Gilchrist pulled, drove and cut his way to 69 off 37 balls in an unforgettable display of raw aggression. Australia’s hundred, unbelievably, came off just 62 deliveries, 19 of which were dispatched to the boundary. It was scintillating batting, the like of which is rarely seen in cricket.Matthew Hayden was sedate by comparison with Gilchrist, but he made his mark emphatically near the end with six off Ronnie Irani. Alec Stewart missed him in the same over, but it could hardly have been less relevant. It was Hayden who applied the coup de grace, with two off Hoggard through mid-wicket.The early pace was set – in every sense – by Brett Lee, who reached speeds of 93 mph after Hussain won the toss and chose to bat. There was nothing Marcus Trescothick could do to avoid a sharply lifting ball that brushed his glove on the way through to Gilchrist.Another Lee lifter accounted for Nick Knight, who would have been run out earlier had Brad Hogg hit the stumps as Knight attempted a sharp single into the covers. Gilchrist took his second catch from an uncertain fend to leg.Hussain had scored just a single when an excellent in-swinger from Brad Williams induced an inside edge on to the England captain’s stumps. Stewart, after a positive start, was unfortunate to get the cue end of his bat on to a ball from Williams that looped up for another Gilchrist catch.Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood began a rescue attempt before Vaughan, after driving both Lee and Williams to the rope, became the first of two quick wickets for Andy Bichel, adjudged lbw after being hit on the knee roll. Two balls later Ian Blackwell had gone for another duck, sparring outside the off stump for Ricky Ponting to pouch the catch at second slip.Shane Warne produced an absolute beauty to send back Collingwood, who again batted stoutly for 43 before he came down the pitch and was left stranded by a sharply turning leg-spinner. Warne, who had announced his retirement from one-day internationals 24 hours earlier, received a rousing ovation from the SCG crowd as he finished his final one-day spell there with an England scalp.Irani swung Lee to Bichel at mid-on before Anderson and Hoggard provided Gilchrist with his fourth and fifth catches of the innings, both off Bichel. England had been blown away by a bowling masterclass, the prelude to a batting assault that seemed almost superhuman in its belligerence.

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 4 AAP – It was lower than low-key.With about 100 quiet spectators dotted around the ground, Australia started its World Cup journey today by making 9-280 in a 50-overs-a-side practice match against the North West Dragons, a provincial side with limited firepower.The captains didn’t even toss, Ricky Ponting’s side allowed to bat first upon request. Both teams named 14 players. Any number permitted to bat or bowl.Jimmy Maher opened with Adam Gilchrist but lasted only 13 balls, driving on the rise to be caught at point for five.Gilchrist and Ponting then settled nicely into their work, hitting crisp boundaries and occasionally lofting over the in-field.The pitch was slow and so was the mood early. A large 500-seat temporary grandstand erected on the hill was empty despite the weather being warm and perfect.Gilchrist purred to 27 from 37 balls but bunted a catch to short mid-wicket, then Ponting fell cutting for 21 from 34 balls.Australia was 3-60 and appeared in some danger of repeating South Africa’s warm-up loss. That danger was quickly averted.Damien Martyn hit the ball sweetly from the start while Darren Lehmann, who must miss Australia’s opening World Cup match because of suspension, gave himself time to get his eye in. He blossomed when left-arm offspinner Ronald Siwane was introduced to the attack, caressing four fours in an over, taking Australia to 3-100 off 126 balls.Lehmann retired on 63 from 68 balls, which included six fours and a six. He and Martyn, falling to a pull that popped up from the toe of his bat, put on 106 in 118 balls.Allrounders Brad Hogg and Andrew Symonds, both contenders for Australia’s first match against Pakistan at Hohannesburg on February 11, batted together with Hogg looking more impressive.Symonds was caught in the deep for 21 from 20 balls. Hogg chopped a pull shot onto his stumps for 31 off 34. Australia’s more than handy No.8, Matthew Hayden, came in late to make a tidy 18 from four fewer deliveries.

Sachin Tendulkar fell just two runs short of his 35th one-day century, though he notched up another landmark – his 12,000th run.More specifically, to the delight of huge, noisy support in the crowd, and hundreds of millions more back home, his innings provided India the momentum to destroy Pakistan’s hopes, which were reasonably high after a Saeed Anwar hundred had led them to a competitive total.To complete Pakistan’s defeat, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh filled the breach after Tendulkar’s fall, with a run-a-ball 99 for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand which sealed India’s fourth win on the trot, by six wickets, with 4.2 overs to spare.Pakistan are still not out of the event, but if they do qualify for Super Sixes, they would not go in with many points in the bank. They have to pick themselves up and win big against Zimbabwe on March 4, and then hope the rest oblige (such as Australia beating England today) to allow them to squeeze in.Tendulkar, who hobbled on one leg from 73 onwards, fell with India still 97 runs adrift when Shoaib Akhtar produced a brute of a ball to square him up, and Younis Khan came charging in from point to scoop up the edge inches off the ground.But by then the deed had been more or less done. Tendulkar’s innings (98, 75 balls, 12 fours, 1 six), was not without blemish, for he gave two chances, one a relatively straightforward one to Abdul Razzaq at mid-off off Wasim Akram.Tendulkar’s innings overshadowed a brilliant hundred by Saeed Anwar, which led Pakistan to a highly competitive 273 and had sparked, albeit briefly, hopes of a revival.It was not to be. Pakistan’s trump bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar (72 for 1 wicket in 10 overs) and Waqar Younis (71 for 2 wickets in 8.4 overs) in particular – though the rest too were guilty to a lesser degree – fed Tendulkar and other Indian batsmen short and wide balls on both sides of the wicket.Tendulkar, followed by others, made mincemeat of them all, with great relish. Some years ago, India would have wilted under the weight of such a target, but no longer.Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag started off the chase spiritedly, tearing into Akram and Akhtar straight away. The latter was spanked for 18 in his first over and taken off by Waqar, who brought himself on. But he bowled as poorly to start with, until his two-wicket burst sent back Sehwag through a great catch by Afridi and Ganguly was leg-before to the very next delivery.After Razzaq’s miss, Tendulkar and Mohammad Kaif continued to demolish whatever Waqar threw at them, adding a hundred for the third wicket before Afridi got through the latter’s defences.Tendulkar too didn’t survive for long afterwards. Pakistan scented a whiff of an opportunity here, and Akram was brought back. But Yuvraj (50, 53 balls, 6 fours) and Dravid (44, 76 balls) made sure there were no hiccups.Earlier Saeed Anwar made his first hundred in three years. It was vintage stuff from a great batsman, rolling back the years in what is his swan song on the world stage.With conditions conducive to seam bowling, Waqar won the toss, and without an instant’s hesitation, elected to bat. With both sides palpably full of nerves, Pakistan got off to a good start with Anwar and Taufeeq Umar going past 50 in 10 overs.Umar was bowled through the gate by Zaheer Khan when he seemed set for a bigger score, and Razzaq crawled to 12 before swishing one to Dravid, who took a fine diving catch behind the stumps.Inzamam-ul-Haq, having started with an emphatic four over Kumble’s head, missed out again by running himself out for the 35th time. Yousuf Youhana stayed longer, gathering ones and twos in his typical style, and partnering Anwar in a fourth wicket stand of 88 before holing out to mid-wicket.Anwar (101, 126 balls, 7 fours) anchored the innings brilliantly, and when he was fifth out – to a fast inswinging yorker from the otherwise hapless Ashish Nehra – on the first delivery of the 41st over, Pakistan had already posted 195.It was time for the big hitters to make their presence felt. Though Pakistan lost Afridi and Younis (32, 36 balls, 2 fours), an improvising Rashid Latif (29, off 25 balls, 2 fours) and Akram, stroking two fours on the last two deliveries, took Pakistan to a highly competitive total.The value of Anwar’s 20th one-day hundred can be measured from the fact that the highest contribution next to him was Younis’ 32. India’s attack has been Anwar’s favourite over the years; of his 20 hundreds, four have come against the arch-rivals, including his highest, world record 194.He went past 2,000 against India, in just 50 games. In the twilight of his career, Anwar seemed to be so eager to make a statement, to make his bat do the talking. That was exactly what he did, but without the flamboyance of yore.He paced his innings exceptionally well, concentrating on working the ball through the gaps and rotating the strike instead of going for his signature lofted drives and pulls.At the conclusion of his innings, the wagon-wheel graphically displayed that he had craftily plastered the Indian attack to all parts of the park. But it was all in vain, as Tendulkar took the game away from Pakistan.

The odds are stacked against Pakistan qualifying for the Super Six stage as Waqar Younis’ men prepare to meet Zimbabwe in a must-win match at the Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo.The latest Points Table for Pool A shows that Australia and India are already through to the next stage, leaving Zimbabwe, England or Pakistan to battle it out for the remaining spot. Let us then discuss the possible scenarios.If Zimbabwe were to beat Pakistan on March 4, the Lions of Harare will roar into the Super Six as the third qualifier. Zimbabwe will again benefit if rain washes away Wednesday’s match, as the two points they earn in that situation will take them to 14 points and ahead of England.Pakistan, meanwhile, can squeeze their way into the Super Six stage only if they recover from the psychological blow of the thrashing they took from India, and beat Zimbabwe. If they manage to do so, they will force a three-way tie on 12 points between the three aspirants for the third spot in Group A.If that happens, each of the teams would have one win in the matches played among themselves: Zimbabwe won against England (forfeit), England beat Pakistan, and Pakistan would have beaten Zimbabwe.The computers will now come into play, as NRR becomes the critical factor in deciding which team will make it to the Super Six.If Zimbabwe loses to Pakistan, the African Lions’ NRR will suffer. England, already ahead in that respect, will qualify. That is if Pakistan don’t beat Zimbabwe by a margin huge enough to boost their current NRR (+0.2267) beyond England’s (+0.8207).It is very clear therefore that for Pakistan to escape elimination, they have to win, and win big. What exactly should the team do? Serious number-crunching generates the following table of requirements:If Zimbabwe Bat First:The targets for Pakistan to get could be in the ranges providedin Columns A and B of Table 1. Waqar’s team must attain victorywithin the number of overs specified in Column C. The run-ratesthey would need to score at are provided in Columns D and E. Forexample, if Pakistan needs to win by scoring 51 runs (Col. A),they must do so within 9.4 overs (Col. C) at an average run-rateof 5.28 (Col. D) per over. If the target is the one at the higherend of the range (Col. B), they must attain it within the same9.4 overs (Col. C) but scoring at a higher run-rate of 5.79(Col.E).<!–.sch {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;color: #000000;}.hah {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;font-weight: bold;color: #999999;}th {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;color: #FFFFFF;}

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Pakistan’s best bet, then, will be to win the toss, put the Zimbabweans inand bowl their opponents out for as lowly a total as possible, within 107 at themost, before reaching their target within 9.4 overs – 11 overs as the case may be.Considering the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs and the explosive batting of Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi and others in the Pakistan top order, this may be possible. What will also work to their advantage is the fact that with such a small target, losing wickets may not really matter.But obviously, Zimbabwe’s men are not going to roll over and play dead. They would also be fiercely competitive and looking to enter the Super Six. Thus, they may try to score as many runs as possible. And that is when Pakistan’s position becomes increasingly hopeless. For instance, if Streak’s unit were to bat anywhere near their potential and score 225, the Green Brigade must win within 13.5 overs, at an average of 16.27 an over – a task that can be considered close to impossible. Table 1 above shows how Pakistan’s task becomes progressively hopeless as the target climbs from 226 to 323.If Pakistan Bat FirstPakistan’s possible range of scores are set out in Columns A and B of Table 2, and their minimum required margin of victory is in Column C. All figures are in runs.

If Pakistan’s batsmen wield the willow with power and panache, scoring 300, their bowlers must dismiss Zimbabwe for 112. A tall order, but within the realms of possibility for an attack regarded as among the best in the world. After all, Wasim and Waqar have over 900 wickets in ODIs, and the fearsome Shoaib is arguably the fastest in the world!But if Waqar’s men are below par and only score say 223, the bowler’s will then face the herculean task of bowling the opposition out for 36, the lowest-ever total in ODIs.To concludeIrrespective of what the weather-man says, or what the wicket looks like, theseTables, then, send out the loud and clear message that the captain winning the tossmust have no hesitation in batting first at Bulawayo. As to whether Pakistan canrise like a Phoenix from the ashes of the heavy defeat inflicted by India atCenturion, we will have to wait till Wednesday to find out.

We conclude our interview with Guy Whittall, who looks back on some of the highs and lows of his career.Most memorable matchThe most memorable match for me was beating South Africa in England at the last World Cup. It was quite an emotional time for me because I didn’t think it was possible. They seemed an invincible side, rather like the Australians now. They were just starting to lose form at that stage, but it was fantastic that we managed to beat them.Other good ones are when we beat Pakistan in the Test match in Harare, when I got my first Test hundred. Andy got 150, Grant got 200 and Streaky got a five-fer, so it was as if everyone had done well and it was a hell of an achievement. I was chuffed that my team-mates had done so well and that we had all got our first Test victory. We lost the next two games after that, which put a bit of a dampener on it, but we managed to draw that one-day series one-all.Another highlight was beating England here, three-nil in the one-dayers, and that fantastic draw with them, scores level, in Bulawayo. Then there was my double-hundred against New Zealand in Bulawayo, and my 180 on their next tour in Harare, with our backs against the wall. Again that was a bit of a dampener because we lost the game; we only had to bat for another ten minutes and we could have pulled off a draw.I’ve had a fantastic time of it just playing the game, and highlights of my career have also been watching other guys perform: watching Andy Flower getting his double-hundred, and his unbelievable year when he was the International Cricketer of the Year. I watched him from being a good cricketer to one of the best in the world. It was an honour and a privilege to watch how he developed and how he committed himself to the task, the goal-setting and the commitment he put into practice. There was never any laziness about him; he was committed to a task and that was it. I think Grant is on his way to doing the same.Worst matchI wasn’t playing in the match when we scored 38 all out; I wasn’t in the game we lost to Kenya, and I wasn’t in the Test match when we were 63 all out against West Indies! I’m not too sure about the worst match I’ve played in; there have been quite a few games where we’ve got almost all the way there and then thrown it away at the end. That’s the difference between the good teams and the weaker teams. That was like Kenya over the last few years, when they’ve got quite close and then thrown it away at the end. England’s great at doing that!Best innings of careerThe best innings I ever played was my pressure knock against New Zealand when I got 188. Our backs were against the wall and I decided I was going to take t to them, that we weren’t going to be able to block this out. I think I showed myself that I could do it under pressure; unfortunately Pommie Mbangwa got run out at the end but we were on our way.The Kiwis were always having a go and they really came hard at us. Parore, Dion Nash, Flem, Nathan Astle – all of them were quite nasty on the field and came hard on us. I was under pressure the whole way and it didn’t stop until I was on about 110 or so. I remember Stephen Fleming really trying to slow the game down, trying to make sure every bowler takes his time and commits himself to one ball at a time, the best ball he can bowl, instead of rushing through it.I put on a good partnership with Streaky that day and I could really feel him feeling the pressure. It’s nice when you can sense them feeling the heat, having been in the field a couple of days, and getting irritated and trying different things, and I managed to stay composed. I really enjoyed seeing them wilt around me. But unfortunately Streaky got out to a pretty soft dismissal, and then Pommie got out to a soft run-out. That was a low spot of my life, but I felt that I didn’t get out and it was one hell of an achievement.Best piece of bowlingEngland, England and England! I got four for 18 in one innings. I get Gary Brent and others who come and chirp me in the changing room, "What are your best figures?", and I can tell them four for 18.Best bowler facedI came name a few! I found McGrath very, very difficult; I found Andy Caddick quite a difficult bowler; Javagal Srinath; Wasim; Waqar – all of those guys are extremely difficult to face.Shane Warne – jeez, he’s got so much body into his action he gets it through a bit quicker than you think and there’s a lot of fizz on the ball. And Muttiah Muralitharan – just don’t even put him in front of me because I won’t last long! If I have to try and score off him I won’t last, but if I can just try and play him with a dead bat I think that’s the only chance I’ve got.Most difficult batsman bowled toThe Aussies at the moment! I find it very difficult bowling to all of them. They play so straight, they can whip you, they can do anything they want. When you’re bowling against them, your margin of error is very small.Best captainAndy Flower was a terrible captain in his first stint! His knowledge of the game has always been very good, but his man-management was terrible. Alistair Campbell was a good captain and he motivated us quite nicely, but he was a lazy guy, he always has been!But Andy Flower in his second stint as captain identified what his role was and his man-management was good, his performance was good because he identified that he had to captain the side, lead the team and also had to concentrate on his own game, deal with selectors and with the Union. He was the one captain I found who managed all three or four departments very well. He managed to do the best for the players and was a very smart guy. I had the utmost respect for him in his second time as captain because he managed all those departments very well.Best opposing captainSteve Waugh had an aura about him and he was a very good captain, I think. Nasser Hussain was probably one of the most irritating guys, but with some of the resources he had I think he was actually quite a good captain. Ranatunga I think was also a very good captain. They really got up the opposition’s noses and I think that’s good for a captain.Stephen Fleming was probably also one of the best. I think he learned a lot off Steve Waugh, and also Steve Rixon, who was the coach at the time. Steve Rixon was very good for Flem.Favourite groundHarare Sports Club. No doubt about that; I love playing there!Favourite country to tourEngland – a great place to tour. And Sharjah, which is also a great place!Most sporting opponentsThe Australians. They are always in winning positions, and they always dominated us, so we were always invited to the changing room to have a drink with them. I think if we had beaten them it might have been a different story. But there’s a lot of respect there.Best friends in other teamsCaddick from England is quite a nice guy. Glenn McGrath, because he has an interest in hunting. Steve Fleming is a good guy; Chris Cairns. The Indians – basically I get on well with all of them.When I’m much older, like now, I find it much easier to talk to most of the opposing players. When you are younger you find it very difficult, but now most of the teams have been playing so much against each other over the years, and Kenya as well, so I’m quite friendly with most of the sides.Most promising youngstersTravis Friend, Sean Ervine and Andy Blignaut.Funniest momentsWe were playing against South Africa here, and Hansie Cronje hit a ball over the top. Craig Evans was sprinting towards Castle Corner from mid-on, and he was absolutely flicking! The crowd were loving this guy sprinting in front of them, and suddenly it looked like he’d been shot by a 4-16 from behind. He just dropped to the ground and everyone ran up to see what was going on. He had actually pulled a hamstring, but it looked like he had been shot from behind, because at full sprint he just dived, arms out and hit the deck! I think that was one of the funniest and stupidest moments I’ve seen!Another funny one that I could hardly believe was Steve Peall, after getting his first Test wicket, Aamer Sohail bowled. He just walked down the wicket with one finger pointing towards the sky and the other hand just scratching his crotch! That was another stupid moment that was quite funny!Most desirable change in the gameI think the one-day game should improve between 15 and 40 overs – but I think players are going to start doing it, the Australians are setting a different approach, instead of just putting the ball on the ground and running. I think maybe they should bring another guy into the circle, a small thing that needs to be changed.And more important, the players’ body should have a bigger input into the ICC. They are the young generation that are going to set the standard for future years, so a bit more communication between the players and the ICC would be far better. I also think commentators, especially in countries like South Africa, should try to sell the game a lot better, as opposed to being very critical.

Glamorgan recorded their second emphatic win in the National League beating Kent by7 wickets at Sophia Gardens. As in their victory yesterday against Leicestershire,the reigning League champions completed a thoroughly professional all-round performance to serve noticeto the other Division One teams that they are still as adept in the short form of the gamein 2003 as they were last year.Robert Croft led from the front again, performing well with both bat and ball, as well asmaking some subtle bowling changes after Kent had opted to bat first. The visitors hadmoved onto 101-1 when Croft opted to introduce spin into the attack. He was immediatelyrewarded as Dean Cosker trapped Ed Smith leg before, and the left-arm spinner,bowling in tandem with Croft, proceeded to completely put the brake on the Kent batsmen.Nine wickets fell for 91 runs as the Glamorgan attack, shrewdly led by Croft, took a firm holdon the game. Croft claimed three wickets, including that of Rob Key who was Kent`s top scorer with 68.Cosker claimed two, as did Michael Kasprowicz who showed that he had fully recovered from theniggling injury that had previously restricited the Australian seamer, returningfigues of 2-25 from his 9 overs.In reply to Kent`s 192-9, it was then the turn of Croft the batsman to put the visitors to thesword, and the acting Glamorgan captain launched the innings with a fine 59 from 63 balls. Croftreceived useful support from Mike Powell, adding 108 in 19 overs for the second wicket – a recordin League games between the two counties. Powell hit an attractive 58, before being stumped byKent`s Welsh wicket-keeper Geraint Jones, and then Matthew Maynard and David Hemp saw the Welsh countyhome with 8.4 overs and 7 wickets in hand to make it two out of two so far this season for the Dragons.

But for the extra “a”, there might have been a flurry of internationalinterest in the fact that the captain of the South African Under-19 team to tour England next month is one Imraan Khan.Like the great Pakistani, 19-year-old Imraan is an allrounder, albeit an offspinning one. He is no stranger to under-19 international cricket, as he visited New Zealand in 2000-01 and also played in last year’s World Cup there.Imraan, who was born in Durban, captained South African Schools in 2001, and made the leap to senior provincial level in the recently completed 2002-03 season, in which he played five limited-overs matches for KwaZulu-Natal.He told Wisden CricInfo: “Our tour is important, because it’s from ventures like this that you find your next generation of Test cricketers.”Surprisingly, perhaps, he was not named after the other Imran Khan, and he comes from a family that is more at home on the soccer pitch than the cricket field. Imraan is among a handful of cricketers of Asian origin who are making their mark in South African cricket at last. Their most senior member is Goolam Bodi, 24, the chinaman bowler and aggressive batsman who was born in Hathuran, a small village in the Indian state of Gujarat, before his family moved to South Africa.Bodi represented South Africa Under-19s in England in 1997, and played in the 1998 Youth World Cup. His big break seemed to have come when, after impressing for KwaZulu-Natal, he was called up to replace the injured Nicky Boje in the one-day squad on South Africa’s West Indian tour early in 2001. Sadly, before he could join the squad, he broke a finger on his bowling hand in a Lancashire League match. But the selectors have not forgotten him, and he was included in South Africa’s provisional squad of 31 for the 2003 World Cup.Also in that group was Hashim Amla, a top-order batsman of great promise who made his first-class debut for KwaZulu-Natal against England in 1999-2000. He toured New Zealand with the South African Under-19s in 2000-01, and captained South Africa at the last Under-19 World Cup in 2002.The silkily skilled Amla, who’s now 20, has cemented his place in the Natal XI, and in 16 first-class matches he has scored 980 runs at 42.60 with two centuries. Amla’s older brother, Ahmed, made his first-class debut for Natal B two seasons before Hashim. Ahmed, also a batsman, has played 38 first-class matches, but did not have the most productive of campaigns this year. He was in the national under-19 team that toured Pakistan in 1998-99.The other Asian-origin player in the England tour squad, Brendon Reddy, is a big-hitting medium-pacer from Easterns who also played in the 2002Under-19 World Cup.

The official website of the forthcoming 2003 ECC Notts Sport® Trophy has gone live, with new content to be added between now and the tournament. The site will include fixtures and match results for all games, a mailing list to allow people to sign up to receive a daily e-mail bulletin of the tournament’s proceedings, a feature of the 2001 ECC Trophy, also held in Austria, which allowed people from 17 countries to be kept abreast of developments in Austria for the duration of the tournament.The site can be visited at https://ecct2003.austrian-cricket.info/ – feel free to add it to your favourites/bookmarks!