After a spirited start, Pakistan completely lost it in this crunch game. With a mostly clinically efficient display, the Aussies walked away with an 82-run victory to get their 2003 World Cup campaign off to a perfect start.In the process they amply showed any doubters how they could conquer adversity, and also why there is this huge chasm between them and the rest. Andrew Symonds held the Aussie middle and late order together (considered to be the weaker link) with a career-best unconquered 143 that took the Aussies soaring to 310 – the best total on the Wanderers in a one-day international, and the highest by the Aussies in a World Cup game.And then their bowlers stuck to the task of defending the huge total without a hint of spendthriftiness, not even by the lesser bowlers like Ian Harvey and Brad Hogg. There were no freebies, no short stuff outside the off-stump that the batsmen could cut or cream through the covers, or pull with impunity.Pakistan neither had the inventiveness nor the spunk to change the script. Wickets kept falling regularly, and by the 20th over when Inzamam tamely edged Glenn McGrath into a most delighted Adam Gilchrist’s gloves, it was all over bar the shouting.After the Symonds innings literally took the match away from Pakistan or more aptly, knocked the stuffing out, the latter needed to play out of their skins to make their chase a success. But it went horribly wrong with four top-order wickets gone – Shahid Afridi, Taufeeq Umar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Elahi, in that order – without contributing much to Pakistan’s cause. Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq all tried to stop a complete rout, but it proved to be beyond them.There wasn’t much to write home about until later – much later. A partnership of 54 in 5.4 overs for the eighth wicket between Rashid Latif (33, 23 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) and Wasim Akram (33, 31 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) reduced the margin of defeat. But that was all it could do.Any glimmer of hope was shattered by the manner that Rashid (clean bowled, making room for an expansive drive when 14 runs had already been plundered off the last Hogg over) and Akram (going for a big drive off a Harvey full toss, holing out to Ponting at mid-off) got out, characterized Pakistan’s innings: throwing away wickets when it counted most.After this big setback, Pakistan would need to pull up its socks to survive and progress beyond the pool.Pakistan didn’t really make itself proud with a ragged display while fielding. Their bowling was mostly too wayward, and they conceded 31 extras, 21 of them either wides or no-balls. This resulted in a slow over-rate as well, and they were docked an over for overstepping the scheduled time for the innings.The Aussies came into the match stung by the Shane Warne ouster from the match or possibly the event before a single ball was bowled. Akram and Akhtar greeted them with unalloyed aggression on a pitch which showed some lateral movement, perhaps the reason why skipper Waqar opted to bowl first after winning the toss.Akram got the breakthrough when Gilchrist tried to plonk him towards the mid-wicket fence, only top-edging to Waqar in the third over. Hayden (27, 41 balls, 3 4s) was cut into half by a couple of Akhtar thunderbolts, but was trying to break the shackles and be his free-scoring self when he played Akram onto his stumps. Damien Martyn was bowled first ball by an Akram beauty which cut in off the length and crashed into the stumps, off the inside edge. Jimmy Maher thwarted the hat-trick but became Waqar’s first victim when he played one away from the body, Latif pouching the edge to make Australia 86 for four. Pakistan could not have hoped for a better start.But from here on it was all Australia. Having already hit Waqar and a hopelessly out of form Razzaq for three boundaries apiece, Ponting now looked dangerous and after early jitters Symonds too was playing fluently. The two added 60 for the fifth wicket when Ponting (53, 67 balls, 7 fours) was finally out trying to thump a widish Akhtar delivery, guiding it into Taufeeq’s hands at second slip.At 5 for 146, Pakistan must have hoped of a reprieve. They never got one.Instead, it was Symonds who called the shots. Giving a display of immaculately clean strokeplay, he raced to his 100 off just 92 deliveries with 15 fours, the second 50 consuming just 33 deliveries. By the close he had got to 143 off just 125 deliveries, hitting 18 fours in all, and two sixes, one of them majestically straight over Wasim Akram’s head.The entire Pakistan attack was left cut to shreds by the weight of Symonds’ blade, and none looked respectable. It was an onslaught not seen for a while and the brunt was borne by Afridi, Razzaq and Younis Khan who each got some special treatment. With frustration by now running deep, Waqar bowled two beamers and was ordered out of the attack by umpire David Shepherd, with Afridi having to complete the penultimate over.Symonds’ form and Waqar’s frustration may well have set the mood for the Pakistani side already well known for their inconsistent morale when it came to their turn to bat.

The law is the law is the law.Canterbury Cricket have been wrestling with an issue that must raise its head at various times through every season somewhere in the world.The idea that on a rainy day, one game was allowed to carry on while all others were ordered off.The implication being that the players in the game that carried on were given an unfair advantage to collect competition points.So it was in Christchurch on December 7 last year.In a senior grade match between High School Old Boys’ (HSOB) and Marist, the umpires allowed play to continue for an hour longer than other matches. The result was that HSOB achieved an outright win.The other senior Christchurch clubs used their collective muscle to protest the action on the basis of the Canterbury Cricket Association’s Rule 24A and an amendment passed on September 25, 2002 that precluded any time being extended on the second day of a two-day game.Canterbury Cricket upheld the protest.But HSOB appealed and request a review.Canterbury Cricket’s board of directors granted the appeal and appointed an appeal panel. That panel comprised the Association’s code of conduct commissioners Lee Robinson and Keith Hales, the Association president Brian Adams.Under their decision, Law 21.8 was invoked, that being the law stating umpires having the sole responsibility for the correctness of scores and, as a result of that, Law 21.10 that once the umpires have agreed the correctness of the score with the scorers at the end of the team, the result could not be changed.The 12 points returned to HSOB carried them from second to first on the senior two-day competition table.

A limited number of tickets will be available to the public for the Semifinals and Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. Tickets are limited to four per purchaser.The likely semifinal lineup is Australia versus either Sri Lanka or New Zealand in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday 18 March, and India versus Kenya (day/night) in Durban on Thursday March 20.The public is advised to check ticket availability on the three ticketing channels i.e. at the CWC 2003 Stadiums, via the ticketing hotline on +27 (0) 83 123 2003 or on the ‘ticketing’ link on the official website at www.cricketworldcup.com

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has congratulatedRedbacks all-rounder Ryan Harris for winning the 2003 Bradman Medal fordistrict cricketer of the year at an awards ceremony at Adelaide Ovaltonight (March 26).Harris who plays grade cricket for Northern Districts, polled 27 votes,two ahead of Kensington bowler Jamie Panelli on 25 votes and six votesahead of medal favourite, University’s Nathan Adcock who polled 21votes.Harris played eight games for Northern Districts, scoring 360 runs at anaverage of 40, and took 24 wickets at an average of 11.75.The SACA’s cricket operations manager, Harvey Jolly said that Harris wasa very worthy winner of the umpire-voted award.”Ryan is an outstanding, true all-rounder. He is a skillful batsman,talented bowler and is brilliant in the field, and he has all the signsof having a successful first-class career, and the attributes to succeedat the highest level of the game.””At just 23, Ryan has a lot of cricket ahead of him and injury wasreally his only obstacle from succeeding in the State team this season,”said Mr Jolly.The West End Cup player of the series award was won, in a tie, byLachlan Stevens from Adelaide and Dean Waugh from Kensington. Bothplayers polled 10 votes each.Winning the Coca-Cola Team Award for the team which polled the mostplayer votes in the Bradman Medal count was Kensington, on 90 votes,with Northern Districts just three votes behind in second place on 87votes.The C.W. Walker Memorial Trophy for most outstanding wicket-keeper wasawarded to Justin Creek from West Torrens, and the Talbot Smith FieldingTrophy went to University’s Simon Williamson.The annual awards night also named the Coach of the Year, which thisyear went to Glenelg coach Mark Sorell.

Frizzell County Championship Division One

Kent 472 drew with Middlesex 221 and 249 for 4
Scorecard
Andy Strauss (93) and Seven Koenig (96) both fell just short of their hundreds, but, with the help of the rain, they ensured the game headed for its likely conclusion of a draw. Following on, Strauss and Koenig put together an opening stand of 176 in Middlesex’s total of 249 for 4, before play was ended just after tea, leaving Kent still at the foot of the table.

Lancashire 375 drew with Essex 215 and 42 for 3
Scorecard
Bad weather rescued Essex from a likely defeat against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Only four overs and three balls were bowled on the last day, in which time Glen Chapple bowled the out-of-sorts Andy Flower for 16 with the first ball of the day, before the game was abandoned as a draw. Both sides have drawn all four of their Championship matches so far this season.

Surrey 560 for 8 dec drew with Leicestershire 200 and 185 for 8
Scorecard
Leicestershire’s great escape was completed in the Surrey gloom with only two wickets to spare, as Surrey – who went to the top of Division One by two points – were cruelly denied a thumping win. Virender Sehwag (81) and Darren Maddy (40) restored some pride with a third-wicket stand of 101, but once Sehwag was trapped lbw by Saqlain Mushtaq for a typically rapid 81 from 84 balls, wickets continued to tumble. The spin duo of Saqlain (5 for 46) and Ian Salisbury (2 for 40) did all the damage, as rain halted Surrey’s victory charge.

Frizzell County Championship Division Two

Durham 146 for 3 dec and 151 for 7 drew with Worcestershire 395 and /
Scorecard
After yesterday’s washout, the captains agreed to forfeit an innings each, leaving Durham to chase a target of 250. And while Jonathan Lewis and Gordon Muchall were cruising along with a second-wicket century stand, Ben Smith, the Worcestershire captain, thought he had got the wrong end of a raw deal. But, when Andrew Hall removed both Lewis for 43 and Muchall for 74 in quick succession, Durham then lost four wickets for three runs with Gareth Batty picking up three of them. Durham were left hanging on 151 for 7 before rain denied Worcestershire a likely win – what would have been the first of their season.

Gloucestershire 316 for 4 drew with Hampshire 369
Scorecard
A second successive washout meant the match at Bristol ended as a damp draw, with Hampshire scoring 9 points and Gloucestershire 10, enough to keep them at the top of the table.

Northamptonshire 402 for 6 dec drew with Yorkshire 399 and 109 for 1
Scorecard
Michael Vaughan followed up his 103 in the first innings with 64 not out in Yorkshire’s second, as their game against Northants finished in a predictable draw. Earlier, Phil Jaques eventually fell lbw to Matthew Hoggard for a scintillating 222, made in over five hours at the crease, as Northants declared on 402 for 6. Vaughan then hit three fours and one six in his 64 in the final flourish of another game ruined by the weather.

Somerset 476 for 6 dec beat Glamorgan 200 and 133 by an innings and 143 runs
Scorecard
Somerset raced up to second place in Division Two with a crushing win by an innings and 143 runs over a dispirited Glamorgan side, who slipped down one place to seventh. Glamorgan were on to a lost cause when they resumed the day on 29 for 1 and 247 behind, but they showed little fight to save the game as they crashed to 133 all out, with Nixon McLean, Ian Johnson and Aaron Laraman all picking up three wickets each.

Harbhajan Singh is set to make a trip to the same American hospital where Sachin Tendulkar just had an operation on his right index finger. Harbhajan is hopeful that he will receive permission from the Indian board to travel to Baltimore in the next few days.Harbhajan injured his finger during India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year, and recently had to pull out of his contract with Lancashire, after a scan last week revealed the need for an operation.”I want to get it over as quickly as possible," Harbhajan explained. "Now that it’s identified it’s better I don’t lose any time on it. Once the formal clearance is gained, I will head off for the US." He added that it is likely that he will be dealt with by Dror Paley, the same surgeon who operated on Tendulkar’s finger in April.”I spoke to Sachin and he too advised me to go in for an operation as quickly as possible," continued Harbhajan. "Since it is a hand injury, it’s better it is attended to quickly.”Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Anant Joshi, a medical expert from the Indian board, said, “Harbhajan underwent an MRI scan and X-ray on his finger after specialist Dr Sudhir Warrior, who also treated Sachin’s finger before he decided to go in for an operation in the US, advised him to do so."

16.3 overs England 81 for 4 (McGrath 15*, Vaughan 35*) v Zimbabwe: match abandonedOn a day of frustration, with bad weather postponing the start until 3.50pm, Headingley was briefly given a taste of the Twenty20 Cup – or Twentyfive25 to be precise. But after a futile attempt to defy the elements, the match was called off in the 17th over of England’s effort, just as the local boys Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath were repairing a dreadful start to the innings. The competition rules state that no contest can take place over less than 25 overs a side, so even the briefest of interruptions would have been curtains.After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, England slumped to 32 for 4 in typically zippy Headingley conditions, including three in the space of eight deliveries, before Vaughan and McGrath added 49 for the fifth wicket to save their blushes. Vaughan, who by the close was batting as fluently as he has all summer, was disappointed to be forced off by the umpires, shortly after turning down an offer for bad light. But after the start England had made, he was probably secretly quite pleased.In England’s previous match, against South Africa at The Oval, Vikram Solanki and Marcus Trescothick had added 200 for the first wicket. This time, however, they lasted three overs between them. Heath Streak, finding the perfect line and a hint of movement, dismissed them both in his second over, thanks to a pair of blinding catches from Grant Flower.First to go was Solanki, who had launched one fleet-footed drive over the covers off Doug Hondo, but then attempted to work Streak through the leg side and skewed a thick edge to Flower in the gully for 8 (11 for 1). And then, four balls later, Trescothick attempted to cut a wide delivery that seamed back towards him, and Flower again scooped a brilliant low chance to his right (12 for 2).Chris Read had been an unlikely choice as a pinch-hitter, but he lasted all of four deliveries. He pushed Hondo towards mid-on and hared off for a quick single, but Gary Brent swooped and pinged down the stumps at the non-striker’s end (13 for 3).Andrew Flintoff and Vaughan attempted to repair the damage, although with the ball moving every which way but loose, batting was a real struggle. Vaughan, on 11, came perilously close to being nailed lbw by Streak, but the next man to fall was Flintoff, who pulled Andy Blignaut towards the boundary, but only managed to swat him down the throat of Travis Friend at midwicket (32 for 4).Slowly but surely, England steadied the ship, and were looking set for a competitive total when the heavens opened once again.England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Vikram Solanki, 3 Michael Vaughan, 4 Andrew Flintoff, 5 Anthony McGrath, 6 Jim Troughton, 7 Chris Read, 8 Kabir Ali, 9 Richard Johnson, 10 Darren Gough, 11 James Anderson.Zimbabwe 1 Doug Marillier, 2 Dion Ebrahim, 3 Travis Friend, 4 Grant Flower, 5 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 6 Andy Blignaut, 7 Heath Streak (capt), 8Tatenda Taibu (wk), 9 Sean Ervine, 10 Gary Brent, 11 Doug Hondo.

Omar Henry loves South Africa as much as he loves its cricket. As the first non-white South African to play Test cricket in the post-apartheid era, Henry faced reality, stared at it directly and maintained a high level of performance. These days, he is convenor of the selectors of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA).In an exclusive interview with Wisden CricInfo, Henry talks to Nagraj Gollapudi about South Africa’s performance against England under Graeme Smith, the controversial quota system and the future of South African cricket.

South Africa’s performance in the Edgbaston Test should have made the selectors happy, as the critics had questioned the make-up of the team, especially the choice of captain.
Yes, we ‘re very happy. As for the critics, everybody is entitled to his own opinion. That’s the game of cricket. It doesn’t matter what you do – people are going to question it. You just have to back yourself and believe you are doing the right thing for your country. We have started a new era now and we know the standards of South African cricket which we need to maintain and improve on. We have some problems at the moment in the bowling department, but we are addressing that reality by facing it, creating more opportunity and improving on it.

Was Smith the only choice for the leadership role?
There were other candidates, but it was just a case of South African cricket having to move forward, and leaving the former negative legacies behind us. So we decided to have a clean chap, somebody who is fresh, somebody who didn’t have any baggage, who could move forward. And Smith has all that and is a very tough character for his age.Judging by the World Cup, South Africa haven’t completely recovered from the thrashing they received by the Australians in the back-to-back series in 2002. What could be the reason?
The loss against the Australians was a turning point in South African cricket to a certain extent. The gap between the two best teams during that time grew wider and we accept that, as things weren’t in proper order and certain issues needed to be addressed. Players didn’t come out with the same attitude as they did against England in the last Test we played. That shows the character of the players and the people of South Africa in general. If they are nurtured in the right direction they will give quality.Why is it that the depth of South African fast bowling is depleting?
There are various reasons. A decade back, we only had Allan Donald as far as genuinely quick bowling was concerned, and he played a remarkable role in that capacity. Then Shaun Pollock arrived to reduce the burden on Donald’s shoulders. He was followed by Makhaya [Ntini] and for some time Nantie Hayward, who has gone to play county cricket. [Mfuenko] Ngam, who – as far as I’m concerned – is a phenomenally talented bowler, is rehabilitating from injury and if he comes back our problems will be solved. Dewald Pretorious has got the potential and the more he plays, the better he will get as a strike bowler who can take more wickets. And then we have the young Monde Zondeki who is in the team here. He has got pace and he is learning very quickly.[Shaun] Pollock doesn’t have that bite anymore, in spite of his impeccable length and line. Do you think Ntini is ready to take over as the lead strike bowler?
He [Ntini] is close to it. A few more adjustments are required in terms of his focus, but things don’t happen overnight. Since it’s a question of his mindset, he’s almost there. As for Pollock, he’s a vital cog in our attack regardless of what people are saying. With Pollock, Ntini, [Jacques] Kallis (once he comes back) and Pretorius performing well, it doesn’t seem that bad. We just need to buy more time and help nurture the others in the right direction – hopefully with the return of Ngam and [Andre] Nel (serving a match ban) – we will have a healthy South African pace attack once more.What about the lack of quality spinners?
I know we can’t compete with the world-class spinners, but we should try to hold our own. Paul Adams is the first option as a Test spinner – although he was not picked for the first Test against England solely as part of the gameplan and for no other reasons. Robin Petersen is young, and at 21, he still has a long way to go. Unfortunately Nicky Boje is injured and then there is Claude Henderson who played against Australia and went for a few runs, but then these guys will get enough chances to prove their worth. So it is not something big to worry about.With the retirement of the likes of Donald, Jonty Rhodes and Daryll Cullinan, does South Africa have enough mental strength to challenge the big teams?
Well, you just have to look at our captain. The amount of Test matches he’s played, at 22, to hold the record for the highest number of runs for a batsman. I mean, how many Tests did Cullinan take to register his 275? Then there is Jacques Rudolph who has already a double century to his credit. This must tell you something about South African cricket. Who knows what the future holds, but from the pack we got it doesn’t look too bad at all.What would be your personal advice to the future stars of South African cricket?
Its very simple: we wouldn’t have selected these youngsters if they didn’t have what it takes to play the game at the highest level. I would tell them just to enjoy and accept their responsibilitybatsmen should score runs, and by that I mean hundreds and double-hundreds, and bowlers should take wickets. Players need to have a plan of action and get into a routine and do the hard work.Some of the better players, such as Nantie Hayward, are opting to play for English counties instead of international cricket, due to improper selection policies in the past. Isn’t that a loss to South African cricket?
I am not sure if it is that way. To me there are various things that lured the likes of Hayward to the county game and one thing is the pay. And you can’t criticise the guy just because he is dropped from the team and he plays elsewhere, but if the guy was good enough then he should have stayed in contention because you could always come back with your performances.But not so long ago, Hayward was being talked about as Donald’s heir?
Well, that was my predecessors, not me. I have had my dealings with Nantie and he knows where I come from and I have accepted his decision. Look, if you’ve got the desire to play for your country you will do everything to get there. And if you got a desire to earn money then you will do anything to earn money. It is as simple as that.Politics has always played a bigger role in South African cricket and it has affected the game. Do you agree?
It is affecting some people, not the game. There are always pros and cons for any subject. It is how you manage what you’re confronted with that counts, and I think South Africa is doing a fantastic job. We had been in isolation for so long; so you have to look at the positives: in 1992, we returned to international cricket, beat almost every country in the world who played cricket all the time. Isn’t that a remarkable story? But you don’t see the world focusing on that, it is focusing on other issues and we cannot afford to let the world influence us on the other things. We know that we’re good enough to be among the best and we’re going to keep trying to sustain that and even improve.The socio-economic disparities between the whites and the other communities has always posed a hurdle in the development and grooming of talent. Is there a way out?
It certainly is a problem, but we are addressing it and a lot of positives are coming out. At the end of the day you need a solution for every problem you are confronted with, and if you take all the things that our country has been through – as far as our political past is concerned – it is phenomenal that we are still ranked second in Test cricket. If you look at the history of countries like England, India, West Indies and then you look at our history – that is in patches – what does it tell you about the people in South Africa? The inspiration, passion, commitment and love for the game, in spite of our troubled history, is commendable.Does racism exist in South Africa cricket?
Racism is there in the world …we might have made progress, but my personal opinion is you deal with it when you confront it.Has the abolition of the controversial quota system helped?
It certainly has set minds free, letting everybody compete for a place in the squad. But the focus still has to be on the underprivileged – those who never had the opportunity. That’s the reality of South Africa: you can apply that to any sphere of life. There’s a lot of programmes being carried out to create more opportunities for everybody. Development programmes, legacy progammes which deal with the facilities, sports management courses for administrators are some of the constituents of the structure planned by the UCBSA to put the things in the right perspective. You have already seen Ntini as the best product so far of this system.Is the quota system out of people’s mind?
I just look at the cupboard: there’s huge competition at the age-group level. The under-19 team – that toured England – have the potential to progress and it is what they do from here about improving their game and their knowledge that counts. One needs to be good at the dynamics and the mechanics of the game to rise higher.A few years back, the number of provincial teams in the first-class game were expanded from seven to eleven. Has enough talent emerged to justify that move?
The system needs to be structured. There are enough players to choose a team of eleven, but whether you have enough quality to have eleven professional cricketers is the debate. Are these eleven teams professional enough? Former greats have voiced the concern of the widening gap between a province player and an international. I agree with them in principle, but their reasoning is based on the past – twenty to thirty years ago, when the conditions were different.A lot of people play golf, but are they professional golfers? You need a standard: the player who has played professional cricket needs to know what standards are required and what standards need to be maintained. The objective is to get the best cricketers to play against one another. That will mean a need to create tough competition, and when everyone has raised their game, then you can select the best.Finally, your opinion on the [Lance] Klusener affair?
Unfortunately I cannot talk about it because of the sensitivity of the issue and it is out of my hands.

It was an interesting days cricket at the Rose Bowl where Hampshire had made a decent start to their requirement to score 413 for victory in their final home Frizzell Championship match of the season.There were useful contributions to the Worcestershire innings from Kadeer Ali and Vikram Solanki after they had lost two early wickets in the morning, including that of Graham Hick who fell lbw to the persistant Mascarenhas. The pair shared a 4th wicket stand of 136 to set up the declaration.Setting off on their hugh task, Hampshire lost James Adams to Nantie Hayward, and after Simon Katich had passed his 1,000 run milestone in his first season with the county, he was run out.Bad light took the players off early, but Hampshire will have to achieve something they have only done twice in their history and that is to score over 400 to win.

Zimbabwe’s policy of having colour quotas in the national side had been a problem for some years, Andy Flower, the country’s former captain, told the Australian Associated Press today. Flower had just arrived in Adelaide to join the South Australia team he will play for this summer.Flower said that while he hadn’t been involved for a while, the issue had been what he described as “a bone of contention” for some years. “Some believe it’s the right way forward and some disagree. There are various schools of thought and there has certainly been an element of it over the years, and probably is now.”But while Murray Goodwin, now playing for Western Australia believed that was why some members of the side playing in Perth had been included, Flower believed all the players in the side now, vice-captain Tatenda Taibu and fast bowler Douglas Hondo deserved their places.”The guys that are there at the moment are [good enough],” he said. I have played some cricket with a lot of those guys. Zimbabwe is a very young side, the sooner those guys get in there and face up to stiff competition, the better. Guys like Taibu and Hondo have done pretty well in short stints in international cricket and I hope they carry on their learning experience.”Flower, who had decided to leave Zimbabwe, said it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to go back there at the moment. “But I have strong feelings for the country and I hope things turn around there. A lot of the decisions being made there at the moment by the hierarchy are poor decisions,” Flower said.