Tour Diary

One could have been a journalist, the other an accountant. Instead, they are the DJ-announcer combination that has been rocking the Kingsmead cricket ground. Bridget Anne Nel, better known as Funky B, and Dave MacLeod, the director of Gameplan Media, have struck a fine partnership in their little DJ box just next to the media centre, but neither set out to make a living of music or sport.

"I have studied journalism, but my former boyfriend was a DJ and he introduced me into this world," says Bridget, who claims to be 28 but looks like she's 20. "There is no formal training involved here, but I was thrown into the deep end and I learned quickly." She has now been a DJ for seven years, and has loved every moment of it.

Those of us following the ICC World Twenty20 from Cape Town have been slightly envious of Durban over the last few days. On Wednesday, it had Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in an over and Thursday conjured up an enthralling turn of events that left South Africa dumped out of their own tournament – for the second time in four years.

Watching these matches has involved finding a suitable venue and in such a sports-mad city as Cape Town that's not a difficult task. However, when India took on England there were conflicts with rugby and football. In France, Italy were playing Portugal at the World Cup, but it seemed slightly odd as to why all the TVs in a pub on the Waterfront, Cape Town's famous tourist haunt, suddenly flicked over, until we found out the barman was Italian ...

Bowling at Australia's batsmen when they are trying to hit the cover off the ball wouldn't be top of most people's wish list, but for the net bowlers at Newlands it was an unforgettable experience.

The Australians offered them encouragement as they steamed in on a warm spring day. "Well bowled, mate," said Brad Hogg to a young quick bowler. "That would have been a good one in a match." Michael Clarke even had time to offer some advice to a bowler about his wrist position.

It wasn't a packed house at Kingsmead by any stretch of imagination - there were plenty of empty seats around the stadium - but those who were around were so vocal that the numbers didn't matter. And there was no question which team had the maximum support: it was an Indian night in every sense. Their supporters easily outnumbered England's fans, India's performance in the field outdid England's, and the dance numbers blaring from the loudspeakers were more Bollywood and bhangra than rock and hip-hop.

Funky B, the DJ at the ground, clearly knew her audience and even on a day of such exciting cricket, some of the loudest cheers were reserved for the music. Sometimes the cheers were so loud, and the groans when the music had to be stopped for play to resume so evident, that it seemed the crowd would rather be jiving to Bally Sagoo and co than watching the cricket.

If you've failed to notice the dancing cheerleaders in the World Twenty20 so far, you haven't been watching. The colour, noise and party atmosphere of this event has been led by khaki-clad dancers throwing shapes and getting the crowd going every time a boundary is hit. At the Wanderers, they've been kept fit.

"We love Sri Lanka, they make us work," says Jazz, 28, a female dancer from Cape Town. Ian, 23, one of her podium partners, is not so sure. "When the weaker teams play it is better, we get a breather."

The sun is out in all its splendour, there isn’t a hint of a cloud in the sky; a gentle breeze keeps the weather pleasant. It’s just about the perfect Saturday afternoon to be lazing out in the sun with family on the grassy embankments of the Wanderers, watching an entertaining Twenty20 game as a neutral spectator.

Which is exactly what Warren and some of his friends decided to do. They came well prepared too: the adults all had comfortable chairs in which to lounge and relax, while the kids were armed with cricket bat and ball, and enjoyed a hit before the big boys came out to play in the middle. Warren handed out many reasons why he’s a fan of Twenty20 cricket.

There is a buzz around South Africa at the moment and as Graeme Smith said in yesterday's press conference "it's great to be part of it." The fans are certainly enjoying every moment of the ICC World Twenty20 and now they get the chance of back-to-back matches at Newlands.

Although South Africa play second, tickets are valid for both games so there was already a steady stream of people queuing up before the gates even opened at 12 pm. The question is, who do you support in a match not involving your own side? For Claus and Theo the answer was simple, and their banner explained all. "We support two teams, SA & any1 playing Aus".

Friday wasn't a great day to be an Englishman in South Africa. Firstly the cricketers were hammered by Australia then the rugby team failed to score a point against the Springboks in their World Cup match. The only surprise was that South Africa's points tally didn't pass the half-century.

After the rout at Newlands was complete the question was whether it was worth watching another English sporting humiliation, to use a word Kevin Pietersen likes to throw around now and again. If England had really had a chance in France, sitting among the locals would have been a great evening, but with a hammering predicted from every corner the choice was a hotel bar near the cricket ground, which at least provided the balance of a fair few English folk.

Four days into this tournament and I am really enjoying it. I like South Africa. It’s difficult to put my finger on exactly why, but I like the people, who have a great sense of humour, and I like being in Africa. There is a mystery to this continent that excites me. And all this makes it a fantastic place to come and play cricket. People here have embraced the event and the organisers chose the ideal place to launch the inaugural tournament.

It has been good meeting the new coaching team, who all seem like very practical down-to-earth guys believing in a good old-fashioned work ethic. It's also a fun challenge getting to grips with a new format - a format we are keen to enjoy because we play our best cricket when we enjoy ourselves. But the highlight of my week was a visit to a school in Tembisa township about one and a half hours outside Johannesburg.

I occasionally get involved with UNAIDS when I tour around the world and this week I was invited to go visit the kids in this school. Jehan [Mubarak] and Upul [Tharanga] came along and we had a really fun day spending time with the kids. We chatted together and they also played some cricket and rounders - they were really talented, by the way, especially the girls who gave the boys a good kicking. Anyway, the visit also had a serious purpose and we spoke about the positive role sport can play for individuals, families and communities. It keeps you healthy and it helps instil discipline and responsibility, key ingredients in the struggle to control AIDS. By playing and enjoying sport, young kids can develop the inner strength and confidence to take control of their lives and make better decisions for their futures.

Back on the field, today’s match was a pleasing start. We’ll need to tighten up some areas against the big boys, especially in the crucial first six overs in the field. But it was a joy to watch Sanath [Jayasuriya], a player that was born to play Twenty20. He could make a major impact in this tournament and was looking in great form. It was nice to break another record [largest margin of victory in international Twenty20 matches] too, but winning is the main objective and we have plenty of work ahead of us.

The India-Scotland game may have been a non-starter, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm or colour at Kingsmead. A group of about 150 to 200 employees from Nokia in India had come along on a three-day, all-expenses paid trip. It was a pretty grand affair too – they’d been put up at the Hilton, overlooking the cricket ground.

The drizzle was incessant, but so were the antics that this group was up to. The Indian flag wasn’t in short supply, and every time the rains eased even slightly, huge cheers went up in the anticipation of the covers being removed. That it didn’t happen didn’t worry them either – there were other avenues to explore.