South Africa start preparation (26 April 1999)

26 April 1999

South Africa start preparation

Trevor Chesterfield

CAPE TOWN - Newlands, in the ominous shadow of Table Mountain, is as good a place as any for South Africa to start their 1999 World Cup campaign as the late autumn chill gives added meaning to your bracing south-easterly.

It would also give Peter Kirsten, older brother of Gary the left-hand opening batsman in whose benefit the match is beibng played, a chance to run a critical, expert eye over the players fresh from their exercises in the Overberg and the start of the training camp. This ran into a few problems in New Zealand where it was, at times, as shaky as the shaky isles.

Run-rate calculation and other factors will be closely looked at over the next four to five days at Newlands where the camp is situated from tomorrow.

As all 15 are playing in the gamer is should be an entertaining exercise and no one should mind the chill factor with England only days away.

This shifts to Centurion on Saturday where they have their last practice before that long haul to London via Dubai courtesy of the sponsors of the event Emirate Airlines. It is an interesting round about route, no doubt designed to increase "voyager miles" for some.

The limited-overs outing a Newlands is another day/night slog but the World Cup squad players will at least have played a game after a near month's lay-off and to the coach, Bob Woolmer, there is more value to easing in slowly than having no practice at all.

Learning from the New Zealand experience where the limited-overs series was a lot tougher than the mid-summer frolic against the West Indies is one of the areas likely to be of value to Woolmer and the captain, Hansie Cronje. There are some areas where experiments may continue.

"As none of the players has picked up a bat for the last three weeks, it will be an interesting exercise," said Woolmer agreed. "Well see how it goes and pay attention to what is important."

The run rate factor and the importance of keeping wickets in hand in the final overs is an area which, Woolmer admitted, needed attention and will be part of the think tank strategies.

While most of the 12 teams this week start heading for England, including title-holders Sri Lanka, most of the action is off the field in the board and court rooms than the team's practice areas. As Bangladesh, who arrived last week, are battling to acclimatise in the sleet and rain of Scotland and indoor facilities, the Scots are in Sharjah to get some match practice in the heat of the desert.

Pakistan's dirty linen is set to be washed in public again as their captain, Wasim Akram, and four other squad members are to appear before a judicial inquiry into match-fixing. It was also confirmed by Pakistan Cricket Board officials that Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed and Waqar Younis had been asked to appear before judge Malik Mohammad Qayum tomorrow.

They five players, however, are to be represented by lawyers as the side would already be in England, having flown today by the Dubai route. And this after Javed Miandad's shock resignation as coach a week ago.

And in Colombo a Sri Lanka court finally lifted a restriction preventing Sri Lanka Cricket Board officials from carrying out their functions, but said new elections would be held should allegations of intimidation in last month's annual meeting were proven.

There is still some repercussions in South Africa from the Makhaya Ntini rape case as the United Cricket Board step in to minimise the damage to the transformation process that one of their bright hopes of the development programme finds himself awaiting sentence four weeks away.

Australian captain Steve Waugh may have emerged from the West Indies limited-overs battle ground with whiplash, but the unnerving experience of mob rule ruining at two matches has, he admitted, forced him to ask many questions about player security at the World Cup venues.

Even Kenya, where the game normally runs smoothly, has players accusing officials of a heavy handed attitude after vice-captain and middle-order batsman, Maurice Odumbe was fined and warned for his criticism of the team's preparations. The thrust of his criticism was Alvin Kallicharran, the former West Indies captain, Kenya's coach for the event.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News