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When the subject of Australian pacemen is raised, three names immediately spring to mind – Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and, of course, Glenn McGrath. Yet this talented trio is but the tip of the iceberg.Sitting just below the surface is a plethora of talented pacemen biding their time, primed and ready to step up at any opportunity. Perennial wicket-takers like: Brad Williams, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Matthew Inness, Ashley Noffke and Damien Wright, are but a few who would no doubt represent their country with distinction, but who are perhaps destined to end their careers not having played a fraction of the senior Australian matches that their talent would demand in a different era.Dig a little deeper still and you will find an emerging crop of youngsters who are set to burst onto the Australian domestic scene at any given time. Names like Mitchell Johnson, Damien MacKenzie, Brett Geeves and Aaron Bird may not be household names just yet, but all of these boys have got talent to burn and may head the Australian attack well into the next decade.Johnson (20) is the most well known of this group. He is a potential express paceman of rare ilk, one who can hurl a cricket ball at speeds of around 150km/h, is tall at 1.91m (6 feet 3 inches) and is also a left-armer. Johnson was clocked at 138km/h at the Australian Cricket Academy when he was 18 but he was on the road back from injury and was operating off only a few paces.Last year in interview Johnson said: “When I get stronger and reach my peak, I want to be the fastest bowler in the world, there’s no two ways about that.”For many, such a statement may seem like the words of a cocky kid but the softly spoken Queenslander is far from a braggart. A couple of years ago an official from the Academy told me that Johnson was faster than Lee at the same age, and last year in Dennis Lillee’s regular weekly newspaper column, he described Johnson as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent”.Injuries, particularly spinal related, have held Johnson back in recent seasons. But as his body matures and strengthens, he should start to string together periods of injury-free speed and given the opportunity he will wreak havoc on the Australian domestic circuit.A fellow Queenslander who is gaining a reputation as one of the fastest guns around is MacKenzie. MacKenzie (22) has been in the shadow, or should I say blur, of Johnson for a couple of years now, but MacKenzie is a fast-man in his own right and is ripe and ready to burst onto the Australian domestic scene like no paceman has done since 1999, when the 23-year-old firebrand Lee emerged.With all the hype surrounding some of the young ‘fast men’ in international cricket of late, it’s easier to get a gauge on where a guy like MacKenzie stands in the matter of bowling speeds.When Shane Bond came to Australia last season and played his debut Test, his fastest ball of that match was 142km/h. MacKenzie’s current speed could be placed slightly higher than this mark, with the potential to emulate Bond and take his speed up to, and over, the 150km/h mark. MacKenzie was clearly Queensland’s fastest bowler against NSW in the recently completed ING Cup one-dayer and looked to be a clear 5km/h faster than Kasprowicz who is regularly clocked around 138km/h in his international matches.Watching MacKenzie’s action from various angles in frame-by-frame shots it was noticeable just how similar in action he is to Bond, even down to the customary dragging of his back foot. His action is uncomplicated and explosive, with a strong shoulder element. MacKenzie does, however, tend to fall away a little in his action, and in striving for that extra yard of pace perhaps doesn’t gain the maximum benefit from his height.At close to 1.93m (6’4″), MacKenzie is well-built for a youngster and his delivery is so smooth and uncluttered. It is not until you see him next to the likes of Kasprowicz and Andrew Symonds that you realise what a large man he really is.The problem immediately confronting MacKenzie and Johnson is that they are playing for a state which has undoubtedly the most powerful domestic bowling attack in world cricket.Queensland has at its disposal 10 bowlers who would walk into any state/provincial team in the world, but they can only field six of them at any given time. Both pacers for varying reasons played only one Pura Cup match last year. If this figure does not increase all but tenfold this season then the talented duo may follow Shane Watson’s lead and defect to another state, where their talents can be showcased as they deserve to be.Whenever these two men are fit then they should be honing their skills in the first-class arena and not biding their time in grade cricket, waiting for their next break-down.One youngster who is close to the complete package is Geeves (20) of Tasmania. Geeves stands at around 1.85m (6’1″), generates good pace from a smooth, high, front-on action and comes from the McGrath/Lillee school of hostility and intimidation. Geeves was ready and, no doubt, would have played almost every game for Tasmania last season but for an osteo-pubic injury.Geeves’ action is very similar to that of Lee although Geeves is a little less explosive at this stage. Still, he is deceptively sharp and when he’s fit and firing, Geeves would be bowling around 140km/h. His pace and hostility are not his only weapons as he possesses fine line and length and can swing the ball both ways, a la McGrath.In August of this year, Geeves played for the Cricket Academy side against touring teams comprising of the cream of South Africa’s youngsters and a side from the New Zealand Academy. Geeves ended the mini-tournament with the best bowling averages of any player in both forms of the game. He played two matches and took 10 wickets at 14.70 in the longer game and took 4 wickets at 10 apiece in his two one-dayers.If Geeves can get himself fit and stay that way for an extended period of time, then he could well do as did Paul Rofe last year, and find himself amongst the top wicket-takers in Australia’s domestic competition. A national call-up to the senior squad or the A side may be close behind.One young man who performed brilliantly at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year was Bird. He was one of the leading wicket-takers in the competition with 15 wickets @ 14.33 runs apiece. Bird (19) is lithe in stature standing 1.85m (6’1″) and earlier this year was listed as weighing only 70kg, yet from a slight frame his whippy action can generate serious speed.Although Bird performed admirably for Australia in the Under-19 competition, it was one single ball whilst playing for Bankstown which temporarily catapulted the youngster into the public eye. His hostile bouncer catapulted into the side of Michael Slater’s forehead, above the eye, causing blood to stream and Slats to leave the field in a fit of rage. The story ran in every major news service in the country and everyone wanted to know who was the youngster who had felled one of our best all-time opening batsmen. Bird was quickly signed up on a rookie contract by New South Wales and his career seems to be somewhat fast-tracking.As Bird grows in strength and stature, an extra 10kg may well add an extra 10km/h to his already impressive pace. The name Aaron Bird does not quite instil fear into many senior batsmen at the moment but this cagey customer may soon be soaring with the eagles and preying on batsmen the world over.All four of these boys possess the potential to be world-beaters, but talent can be a poisoned chalice. Whether all, or none, of these youngsters grow to represent Australia with distinction will be seen in time, but with rising stars such as these on the horizon the future of Australia’s pace stocks has never looked so bright.

Dougie Brown and Neil Smith guided Warwickshire to a famous victory in a classic Benson and Hedges semi-final with Lancashire at Old Trafford on Friday. It was a game which does justice to 31 years of the competition, which ends this year. The pair, both England internationals, added 60 from 64 balls for the seventh wicket as the visitors held their nerve in an incredible finish.But it was Neil Carter, Warwickshire’s pseudo Englishman, playing on a Britishpassport, who swept his first ball – and the final ball of the match – for four to hand Warwickshire victory by one wicket. Carter, who pinch-hits for his county occasionally, was unfazed and ran off the field to embrace Brown who had fallen victim to Andrew Flintoff’s wonderful arm from the penultimate ball.Brown and Smith came together after a flurry of wickets had threatened to stop Warwickshire’s victory chase in its tracks. With a mixture of power hitting and deft touches, they kept the visitors in the game and the run rate manageable. John Wood, who had bowled with admirable accuracy, conceded two boundaries in his final over. Kyle Hogg conceded another four, which would have been six had Graham Lloyd not brilliantly palmed the ball back at long-off. Next ball, Smith went for another big shot and was easily caught at long-on for 29.Ashley Giles was well caught by Mark Chilton at point, leaving Warwickshireneeding more than a run a ball with two wickets left. Brown kept his cool, then Carter ensured his picture would make tomorrow’s papers with a boys’ own final ball.Chasing 212 for victory on a sluggish pitch, Warwickshire’s reply fluctuatedthroughout. Glen Chapple removed Nick Knight, nibbling outside the off stump, in his first over. Shaun Pollock found the off-side boundary before Lancashire captain Warren Hegg brilliantly stumped the South African down the leg-side.Jim Troughton joined Ian Bell, who looked like settling down for the long haul. Troughton, the 23-year-old who hit a century and a fifty in Warwickshire’s last Championship game, was the more expansive partner. He hit beautifully through the off-side, as left-handers tend to do, punishing any width with a gleeful flourish. Bell’s settled technique will see him representing England in the near future, and he was content to nudge singles. The pair added 60 before Chris Schofield, who looked more minor counties than Test match bowler, trapped Troughton leg before.Just as Bell was threatening a match-winning innings, he hooked the accurate Wood to 18-year-old Hogg, who took a fine running catch in the deep. Trevor Penney soon followed, and with Andrew Flintoff working up some pace, it was looking like a glum trip home for the Bears. But Brown and Smith, both consummate county performers, were not prepared to lie down and took Warwickshire towards victory with some old fashioned hitting.Unfortunately, the impact of an excellent century will be diminished. Chilton, Lancashire’s 25-year-old opener, continued his good form in the competition with 101. Hegg must have questioned his decision to bat first after Lancashire slumped to 36-3 on a cloudy Manchester morning in front of a crowd more interested in the fortunes of England’s football team. Realising his limitations, and those of the sluggish track, Chilton set himself up to bat through the innings. Though he only hit four boundaries in his 146 ball knock, it was a fascinating century. The innings earned him the Man of the Match award, the scantest conciliation.Chilton was educated at Manchester Grammar, Michael Atherton’s old school, and batted with an uncomplicated stubbornness which Atherton would have admired. He was unfazed when Smith dropped a sitter, and he was lucky to win the benefit of the doubt on several leg before decisions. Uncomfortable against the spinners, Chilton nevertheless utilised a chip shot, over the infield but bouncing before the sweepers, to good effect.Chilton found an ally in Flintoff, whose 41 was compiled with uncharacteristic patience. The pair added 89 in 21 overs, Flintoff’s only extravagance an edged straight six from Giles’ bowling. Giles and Smith kept good control after Pollock had been wonderfully miserly in his opening spell.Mini contributions followed down the order from Graham Lloyd, who tried every variation of the reverse sweep in his 18, and Hegg, who snicked a couple of boundaries. Pollock finished the innings off with two wickets in two balls and figures of 4/27 which did not flatter him. His length at the death was admirable. Carter also bowled well, picking up three wickets, including the dangerous Neil Fairbrother. At the interval the game looked closely balanced. Despite this, such thrilling conclusions are rarities to be savoured. In time, even the Lancashire players will realise they were in a terrific game.Warwickshire will play Essex in the last Benson and Hedges final on Saturday22nd June.

Nasser Hussain was not flinging idle praise around when he termedMichael Vaughan’s 197 one of the best innings he had ever seen fromthe blade of an English bat. The classical opener’s highest firstclass score was quite definitely an innings that would done the bestof his tribe proud.

Vaughan’s shot selection on the day he held everybody in thrall wasadmirable, with his driving off the back foot in particular being ofsuch a high order that former England all-rounder Vic Marks was movedto liken it to that of the great Peter May.The Yorkshireman was helped in no small measure by the Indian bowlers,who played a significant part in the transformation of the 27-yearold, whom many had previously marked as the ideal replacement foranother Michael – the very correct and very stodgy Atherton – into abatsman who tore the opposing attack to shreds.Pitching short and spraying the ball everywhere, India’s bowlershelped the England opener feel at home immediately upon his arrival atthe crease. High on confidence after his hundred in the England secondinnings at Lord’s, Vaughan was not in the mood to miss out on sucheasy pickings.With dozens of short-of-a-length deliveries on offer, the regionbetween point and third man naturally proved a productive one,yielding as many as 43 runs. Another area that provided runs by thebucketful was mid-wicket, where Vaughan creamed as many as 44 throughfine back-foot pulls and front-foot drives. It is also telling thatonly 20 runs out of 197 – a measly 10.15 % – came in the vee betweenmid-off and mid-on. On that Trent Bridge wicket, India should havebeen pitching the ball up much further, allowing it to swing and usethe juice in the wicket. If Vaughan had made 197 with the bowlerssticking to the appropriate length, many more runs would have come offstraight drives.

The sole variety in the Indian attack – Harbhajan Singh – wascountered by either staying on the back foot and playing the fineflick, or by sweeping. The pitch afforded only slow turn, enablingVaughan to play the offie on the back foot, something not normallyadvised on more vicious tracks. Harbhajan Singh only helped thattactic along by constantly drifting to leg, unable to bowl the classicoff-spinner’s line just outside the off. The success of Vaughan’sstrategy is best represented by the fact that he scored 27 runs in thefine-leg region and 11 runs to the square-leg against the Harbhajan.Harbhajan also made another fundamental error, not only againstVaughan but against the rest as well. Not once did he succeed inflighting the ball and luring Vaughan into the expansive drive.Ironically enough, then, it was Vaughan who, in India’s secondinnings, reminded everybody of the efficacy of that classic offspinner’s tactic. The ball with which he brought about SachinTendulkar’s downfall was exactly the kind that Harbhajan himselfshould been attempting.

The Standard Bank Cup, the premier South African Domestic limited overs competition, got off to a flyer with 975 runs being scored in the two opening matches played on 8 November.Easterns, the recently crowned first class champions, were beaten by North West in Potchefstroom with Arno Jacobs walking away with the man of the match award after scoring 118. A 123 run partnership with Davey Jacobs set the Dragons up for a total of 259/8 in their allotted 45 overs.In reply the Easterns ended 22 runs short after starting off well. Two quick run outs, that of Zander de Bruyn and Derek Crookes, put a stop to the flow of runs with Easterns finishing on 237/9.In Bloemfontein the home team was set up for their 59 run win, and a bonus point, with Morne van Wyk becoming one of only a hand full of players to score 150 runs in a domestic limited overs match. A partnership of 146 with Jimmy Adams, ending on 64, allowed Free State Eagles to reach 249/4.A good start from Adam Bacher (54), Daryll Cullinan (30) and 28 from Warren Dugmore was all that Gauteng could offer in resistance eventually bowled out for 210.With a shortened season bonus points are going to play a major roll in finalising the semi-finalists come January 2003. Free State will be well pleased to have started on a good wicket.

Pakistan Customs stormed into the final round of the National One-day Cricket Championship with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Karachi Whites in the last Pool ‘A’ fixture at National Stadium here Wednesday.Karachi Whites, who sent in, were bundled out for 163 in 48.4 overs despite skipper Arif Mahmood’s 50 off 81 deliveries. The burly all-rounder slammed six boundaries after coming to the crease with the Whites in tatters at 61 for five.Arif and Shahid Iqbal, who made 38 off 60 balls with four fours, were involved in a sixth-wicket partnership worth 74. Among top-order, only opener Maisam Hasnain managed to enter double-figures. He hit six fours in making 28 off 61 balls.Pacer Waqas Chughtai claimed three for 25 while spinners Salman Fazal and Tabish Nawab chipped in with two wickets each, giving away 31 and 33 runs respectively.Customs made a shaky start when they lost opener Shadab Kabir for a duck in the first over of the innings. Fellow left-handers Azhar Shafiq (25) and Kashif Siddique (17) had also perished with their side still 104 runs away from the target. But skipper Aamir Bashir and the bearded left-handed Asim Kamal guided Customs home with both scoring unbeaten half-centuries.Aamir Bashir struck exactly 50 off 107 balls with the aid of three fours while Asim stroked 57 off 99 deliveries. His knock was studded with four hits to the fence.

Stung by a heavy defeat in the opening game, Pakistan has forced Super Challenge II into a series-deciding clash at the ‘Gabba next Wednesday after registering a hard-earned two wicket win over Australia in Melbourne tonight. Spirited bowling was complemented by patient batting as the tourists dug deep into their reserves of skill and commitment to secure victory with seven balls to spare.Unlike Wednesday’s series-opener, this was a high-standard encounter. As a contest, it had much to offer too, with Pakistan waiting until the last half-hour of a prolonged arm wrestle to genuinely secure its win.The sophisticated strokemaking talent of Younis Khan (56*) was the key, delightful footwork and crisp hitting allowing him to persistently guide the ball through and over the field on a day when almost every batsman struggled. Crucial, too, was his patience in a difficult period in the middle of the innings during which spinners Shane Warne (2/49) and Darren Lehmann (1/17) rudely interrupted the progress of Yousuf Youhana (29), Rashid Latif (16) and Shahid Afridi (3).Pakistan’s pursuit of the paltry Australian total of 167 had sputtered into difficulty at various stages of the evening session as wickets were frittered away at regular intervals. But the young right hander was able to play the lead role in partnerships of 35 with Latif; 19 with Wasim Akram (10); and 18 with Waqar Younis (8*) to haul his team back from the potential ruin posed by scorelines of 3/21 and 5/85.Earlier, the direct hit run out of Saeed Anwar (0) from mid off, and the departures of Imran Nazir (6) and Azhar Mahmood (4) in the space of a single Brett Lee (2/44) over, had posed grave threats to the satisfactory progress of the Pakistan innings.In truth, though, Australia should never have been given a chance to win after a typically explosive opening to the match from Akram.Amid cold conditions, the teams had played a slow-burning match to mark the beginning of the series three days ago. As Akram (3/18) set to work, though, this one could barely have exploded into life any faster.The first serious questions of the afternoon – not to mention the prayers of the series’ promoters – had been answered when Lee and Shoaib Akhtar were included in the respective elevens. There still remain few players as pleasurable to watch in full flight as Akram, however, and it was the 36-year-old former Pakistan captain who duly stole all the headlines once play commenced.In a frenzied beginning, the redoubtable left arm paceman struck with the first and third deliveries of the match, initially finding a feint outside edge as he drew Adam Gilchrist (0) into nibbling at an outswinger of exceptional quality. Ricky Ponting (0) then made a similarly forlorn exit when a defensive shot caused the ball to jam off a combination of bat and pad, and loop in a gentle low parabola to the jubilant bowler.Fellow members of the upper order should have been quick to join their captain and vice-captain among the ranks of the fallen.But Jimmy Maher (12) survived a pair of desperately close lbw and run out decisions and Damien Martyn (56) encountered two anxious moments of his own, top edging the ball just short of fine leg as he hooked at Akram with his score at 3 and then benefiting from a controversial decision with his score only four runs advanced.A mistimed pull at Akram had sent the ball toward Waqar at mid on, and the Pakistan skipper initially appeared to have clutched the ball cleanly just above the turf. Neither Martyn nor umpire Darrell Hair, standing only a short distance away from Waqar, seemed fully convinced, though, and an ensuing series of replays failed to shed further light on the catch’s validity for third umpire Simon Taufel.Pakistan paid a heavy price in that Martyn’s escape set the stage for a defiant 66-run stand for the fourth wicket with Lehmann (31).On a pitch again offering consistent pace and bounce – as well as appreciable turn at times – it was only when Afridi (3/28) proceeded to encourage Martyn to cut a low catch to backward point that the tourists redressed the balance. The leg spinner swiftly made further important breaches of the home team’s defences when he trapped Shane Watson (8) and Warne (1) on the line of the crease.Akhtar (2/30), the speed of whose deliveries peaked at the match-high reading of 151.9 kilometres per hour, then mopped up the remnants of the innings by bowling Andy Bichel (7) and having Michael Bevan (30) caught behind while cutting.The Australians ultimately lost 5/29 in the closing stages of the afternoon session to pair a poor finish with the disastrous start that they had made after winning the toss.

West Indies cricket teams have been faced with desperate situations inthe past few years and today is no exception.Down 1-3 in the seven-match Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationalseries against South Africa, they go to Kensington Oval this morningin a must-win situation to keep alive their hopes of winning thetrophy.We need to get desperate from this game, but it shouldn’t have come tothis stage, captain Carl Hooper said yesterday after a morningpractice session that attracted a large crowd at Queen’s Park.We should have been desperate a long time ago to pull even with theseguys.Hooper and the West Indies are still upbeat about their chances.But against the background of three successive, comprehensive defeats,there are others who have a dim view.A general worker at Kensington said yesterday it might be easier forLord Nelson or Bussa to wuk-up than for the West Indies to win amatch.He might be among a small group, but the truth is that in the lastthree encounters, the West Indies were hardly competitive.And Hooper knows it too.A couple of games ago I was trying to emphasise that I was a bitconcerned about the bowling, he said.The batting is now a problem as well.We’ve played four One-Day games so far and our highest score is 220.That is a bit worrying given the fact that sometimes we have played asmany as eight batters.We must bat and bat properly. Regardless of if we bat first or last,we must be able to give the bowlers a score that they can work with.Hooper himself is peeved he has not been able to convert his promisingstarts into significant contributions. In every match, he looked theclass batsman we know he is, but returns of 43, 48, 29 and 46 haveunderstandably frustrated his followers.Obviously I am disappointed with the 40s. I’m not making any excuses,he said.The times when I have got out, they have been 10, 12, 15 overs left. Icould have gone on to get, if not a hundred, 70s, 80s, 90s.After two defeats by eight wickets and another by 132 runs, thebiggest margin of victory for the South Africans in 22 One-DayInternationals against the West Indies, Mike Findlay and fellowselectors have made adjustments to the 14-man squad that was utilisedfor the first four matches.There is a recall for opening batsman Daren Ganga, whose record in theshorter form of the game hardly suggests encouragement.The 21-year-old Trinidadian, who takes Ricardo Powell’s place at thetop of the innings, averages seven in as many matches. His techniqueand temperament, however, are as good as anyone else’s in theCaribbean.Ganga had two difficult tours South Africa and Australia and he hasbeen given the opportunity here in the Caribbean in conditions that heis familiar with, Hooper said.The second and final change in the squad is perhaps the mostinteresting.The inclusion of leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine ahead of left-armerNeil McGarrell, could prove decisive in the middle of the innings.There is a possibility that Ramnarine may try to bowl outside the legstump as he did so effectively in the Antigua Test, but it could be abit of a risk in the One-Day game.Ramnarine has got a part to play. We’ve been struggling to takewickets in the middle overs, Hooper said. He’s been brought into thesquad so he can play that role and pose a bit more variation and punchto the attack.In the first four matches, South Africa were able to launch theirinnings with calculated aggression which has caused the West Indiesmajor problems in containing them in the first 15 overs.In successive matches, by the time the field restrictions were eased,South Africa had raced to 67, 70, 88 and 74, and in each match theWest Indies took just one wicket in that period.Herschelle Gibbs, in particular, was very successful in charging thefast bowlers, but Hooper said there wasn’t a likelihood a spinnerwould be given the new ball to counter the problem.A spinner has been introduced before the 15 overs and hasn’t provedthat effective, the West Indies captain said.Opening with a spinner with the new ball is a big ask. Even though Ihave been successful in bowling in the middle stages of the game, Idon’t think it is something that we want to do.

Tapping the existing base in the Pacific Islands for derivatives of cricket has the potential to open up vast areas for the development of the game.ICC East Asia-Pacific manager Matthew Kennedy told a New Zealand Cricket development conference in Christchurch today that the potential exhibited in the region during the recent Pacifica Cup tournament, won by New Zealand Maori, was only the start of development efforts.Much will depend on a decision over what the Associate and Affiliate members agree should be a World Cup structure.One suggestion has been an expansion of the traditional ICC Trophy tournament which finds three teams to attend the World Cup every four years, although in future as many as five associates may be included in the world event.That would allow for regional tournaments, such as the Pacifica Cup, to be played every two years.The second option was to have a world cricket league where the associates and affiliates were ranked from one to 62. That provides problems of its own however. Seeding teams from one to six and seven to 12 was fine, based on the performances at the ICC Trophy.But ranking teams from 13 to 62 was much more difficult. The issue of whether a New Zealand Maori, and a New Zealand Islands, team take part in regional tournaments was an issue for New Zealand Cricket.Another issue in the East Asia-Pacific region is a request from Hong Kong/China to go with the Asian region. That would involve them more in the richer Asian development region which on its own receives half the funding development allocation from the ICC.Kennedy, an Australian who works out of the ACB headquarters in Melbourne, said the Pacific offered a prime area for development because of the cricket culture that exists already and the spaces that were available in which to play the game.One of the most productive areas for development was Papua New Guinea.”They have truckloads of players and a real cricket culture. They receive Australian television and get all the cricket, and the players are naturally talented.”Japan is our target for the next affiliate members in our region. They have seven competitions and 30-35 teams, and for the first time this year locals and ex-pats have united to play each other,” he said.What Kennedy did ask for from the delegates attending the three-day meeting from each of New Zealand’s major associations was to consider entering into a partnership with one of the emerging countries in the same way that Auckland has done with Samoa and Tonga.Victoria has links with Japan and South Korea and New South Wales is linked to Fiji and Vanuatu.This was a way of providing any old playing kit, advice or experience to those countries and whatever was offered was bound to be appreciated by those countries, he said.Support provided by the ICC to the countries was not just a monetary handout but more in the field of support and that had been well received to date.Kennedy said the establishment of practice nets in Samoa and Tonga, the first such facilities, and the development of a ground and practice facilities in Fiji had made a big difference to those countries and would make a difference in the future.

A breathtaking 99 from Sadagoppan Ramesh and unbeaten half centuries byskipper Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman helped South to a formidable 296/2 onthe second day of their Duleep Trophy clash against West Zone at Surat’sLalbhai Contractor’s Stadium. This was after a dismal collapse earlier inthe day by West, which slipped from their overnight 310/3 to 376 all out injust over 21 overs.After a trying time for the South bowlers on the first day, they swiflyclaimed the ascendancy on the second morning as West lost four wickets inthe first six overs for the addition of sixteen runs. With the fourth ballof the day, Dodda Ganesh removed Jacob Martin for 89, caught by Laxman inthe slips. The other overnight batsman, Vinod Kambli duly completed hishalf century in 60 balls before knocking one back to Ganesh for 56.Three balls later Abhijit Kale was run out for one and skipper Nayan Mongiafollowed shortly afterwards for the same score, caught off Aashish Kapoor.Ajit Agarkar and Sairaj Bahutule added 30 for the eighth wicket beforeGanesh fired out both men in successive overs. Sunil Joshi claimed histhird scalp by bowling last man Lalit Patel to terminate the innings in the112th over. The persevering Ganesh collected the best figures of 4/81 in 29overs.South openers Sridharan Sriram and Sadagoppan Ramesh proceeded to add 139for the first wicket in just 29 overs. They scored the runs in contrastingstyles, Sriram labouring for 95 balls to make 38 before he was caughtbehind off Iqbal Siddique. Ramesh on the other hand caned a 99-ball 99, 76of which were scored off boundaries, before being bowled by Bahutule. Fromthere on Laxman and Dravid forced the West attack into submission, addingan unbroken 141 in 32.2 overs. Laxman, with nine centuries in his last ninegames, marched inevitably towards yet another, unbeaten on 80 (111 balls,12 fours) while Dravid was keeping him company on 60 (106 balls, 7 fours).

Days like these have become a rarity for New Zealand. A disciplined line from their new-ball pair of Kyle Mills and Tim Southee, an agile and pro-active fielding unit that forced two spectacular run-outs, rounded off by controlled yet aggressive batting from the openers made New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori call it a “perfect” day.”I am not sure if you can ask for too much more – we wanted a complete performance out of ourselves and right from the start we put it together. To dismiss a good Zimbabwe line-up for 160 on a very good (batting) wicket and then chase it with ten wickets in hand, I can’t really ask too much more from the guys,” Vettori said, describing his feelings after New Zealand became the only team this World Cup to win by a ten-wicket margin twice.In their tournament opener, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill had dashed to the target of 70 in 37 minutes as New Zealand demolished Kenya in Chennai. But that was followed by a below-par performance against arch-rivals Australia five days later, where none of the New Zealand batsmen got a start and the bowlers found it hard to defend 206, with the defending champions registering a seven-wicket victory.New Zealand had arrived on the back of a 2-3 series loss to Pakistan at home. They had also lost 18 of their previous 29 matches from the beginning of last year. That involved series whitewashes in Bangladesh and then India. The big worry was the constant failures of the batsmen to raise a platform. After Ireland’s improbable victory against England, New Zealand were wary of Zimbabwe, who have won matches against higher-ranked teams in the last one year including India and Sri Lanka. “There was a little bit of pressure around the game. It was a must-win game,” Vettori admitted about the mindset at the start of the match.New Zealand were aggressive in all departments against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad•Getty Images

But Hamish Bennett’s spectacular dive to run out Charles Coventry in the second over of the morning triggered a quick downfall, and even before the first hour was over, Zimbabwe were in dire straits. If not for the 87 runs gathered by Nos 7 to 10, Elton Chigumbara’s men could’ve faced the same assault that West Indies inflicted on Bangladesh in Dhaka later in the afternoon. “It is hard to bounce back from there,” Vettori said of Zimbabwe’s plight at 46 for 5 after 15 overs. “If you can get those initial breakthroughs you can put a lot of pressure on the team. Then you can set attacking fields which makes it difficult for the opposition. We were fortunate to take those early wickets through great seam bowling, some very good fielding which made my job and the rest of the bowlers’ a lot easier.”Vettori was also glad that the McCullum-Guptill combination had played sensibly to bolster New Zealand’s confidence ahead of marquee contests against Pakistan next week and later Sri Lanka, two teams New Zealand has struggled badly against recently. Their unbeaten partnership today was the highest by a New Zealand opening pair in a World Cup and eighth overall.Vettori said the influence of John Wright cannot be forgotten. Wright took over as New Zealand coach from the Pakistan series and has been blunt in his appraisals of batsmen ever since. During training here he has worked hard having one-on-one sessions. Yesterday Ross Taylor said that Wright had made it clear to the batsmen in a closed-door meeting that they had to step up as a group and not individually. Vettori said the openers’ success proved the players were understanding the Wright way. “What we did with the ball allowed Brendon and Martin to take their time, get themselves in and really produce innings of timing and quality. They still played their natural games. There was no need to score at any pace. It was a good controlled innings and we got on top quite early.”