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MARCUS HOOK'S WORLD CUP DIARY 2003 (PART SIX)

                   
Monday 3 March: New Zealand v Canada, South Africa v Sri Lanka and Namibia v Holland
South Africa’s last World Cup came down to making a single and so did this. If Mark Boucher had taken a run off the last ball of the 45th over, instead of patting it to mid-wicket thinking his side was ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis rule, it would be the South Africans, rather than the Kiwis, going forward from Pool B with Sri Lanka and Kenya. That said, if the game had gone the distance, I would have backed the Sri Lankans to scrape a win. They still had enough overs from Vaas, De Silva and Muralitharan up their sleeve to make life difficult for Boucher and Klusener. But playing on in the rain, with a slippery ball, would have done them no favours. So, to be fair to both sides, the umpires – who in my view are the best two in the world – quite rightly took the teams off. It is not the best way to go out – is there ever? – but at the end of the day who did South Africa actually beat? Bangladesh, Canada and Kenya. Their bowlers had no answers when Lara, on the opening day, Fleming and Atapattu, here, got in and played three of the classiest innings the competition has so far seen. It all means that, yet again, winning the Cricket World Cup has eluded the tournament’s host nation. What is worrying is that March and April is the rainy season in Southern Africa, so Messrs Duckworth and Lewis might be in line for even more royalties as the competition reaches its climax. In today’s other matches Holland beat Namibia (that’s all you basically need to know) and New Zealand trounced the Canadians; though not before John Davison struck an entertaining 75 off 62 balls and the Kiwis slumped to 32 for three in reply. But thanks to Scott Styris and Chris Harris they comfortably overtook their opponents’ 196 with twenty-seven overs to spare. It is sad to think today will be the last time most of us will see Davison, who hit three of the biggest sixes you will ever see in the space of five balls from Jacob Oram. Perhaps, as he is from North America, he should think about taking up baseball.
 


Mark Boucher clubs what proved
to be the penultimate ball of the
match between South Africa
and Sri Lanka for six.

Nasser Hussain announces he is standing down as England's one-day captain.		 Tuesday 4 March: West Indies v Kenya and Zimbabwe v Pakistan
For anyone who is a fan of England, today’s events had little to do with the cricket being played; or in the case of the Zimbabwe-Pakistan encounter the cricket that was trying to be played. When the match in Bulawayo was abandoned due to a mini cyclone, Nasser Hussain, England’s defeated captain, announced that he was stepping down from the one-day job. He said he wants to continue as Test skipper, though. I’m of the belief that having two captains isn’t practical, unless the plan is to blood a new one to take over from the other in both codes of the game. That is certainly my interpretation of what the Aussies are doing with Ricky Ponting. If, as I suspect, Australia win the World Cup, I cannot see Steve Waugh continuing as their Test skipper. Returning to Hussain, though, I am in rare agreement with Ian Botham that the Essex man has also gone as far as he can as our Test skipper. We haven’t all got short memories and the way England were led in the first two Ashes Tests at the end of last year undermined their whole campaign. I acknowledge that Nasser Hussain has taken England forward – particularly on the recent excursions to the Asian sub-continent – but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to justify his selection apart from anything else. I also think he would do well to return to county cricket with Essex, who are now a top flight side once again, and see how standards have been improved by having promotion and relegation. In today’s other World Cup game the West Indies beat Kenya at a canter with Chris Gayle making 119 and Vasbert Drakes taking five for 33. Yet, because the Kenyans will start the Super Six with ten points, it will now take something very special from New Zealand and Zimbabwe to deny them a place in the last four where they would probably meet the tournament favourites.

 
Friday 7 March: Australia v Sri Lanka and India v Kenya
I cannot help feeling that the Super Six could end up being the World Cup’s equivalent to the pace car in Formula One. I hope I am proved wrong, but I can easily see this phase becoming a procession where nobody trades places. I had high hopes that the game between the best team in Pool A and the best team in Pool B would be a contest to remember. Alas, it seems there is no stopping the Aussie bandwagon. Brett Lee, who had been largely quiet prior to today, bowled with accuracy and pace and unsettled all of the Sri Lankan batsmen except Aravinda De Silva. De Silva did his best to make up for the loss of his captain to a suspected broken thumb by making 92 off 94 balls, but it was not enough compared with Australia’s mammoth total of 319 for five. Watching the highlights of Australia’s innings, as Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting ran riot I sat there wondering whether there was any more annoying sight in cricket than umpire Billy Bowden signalling six and four. Then it struck me that if New Zealand fail to go all the way, Bowden could be standing in the final at Johannesburg. Call me old-fashioned, but umpires should operate with quiet efficiency rather than seek to bring attention upon themselves. In today’s other encounter, we nearly had a turn up for the books, but five overs from the end, while Yuvraj Singh was being treated for cramp, it was clear that the Kenyans did not believe they could win even though India still needed 23. Their body language suggested they had played all their cards and were content with pushing India close; the wicket of Sourav Ganguly, who made 107 in 120 deliveries, proving to be one scalp too many.


Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's captain, is led from the field never to return due to a suspected broken thumb.

 

Zimbabwe's Andy Flower lies on the ground in regret after being run out in his side's Super Six tie against New Zealand. 		Saturday 8 March: Zimbabwe v New Zealand
On the day that South Africa’s Allan Donald chose to announce his retirement, New Zealand won the battle of the Super Six outsiders at Bloemfontein with 16 balls to spare thanks to a fourth-wicket partnership of 121 in 24 overs between Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns. Sixty-two of Zimbabwe’s respectable 252 for seven came in the last three overs as Heath Streak and Sean Irvine tucked into the bowling of Harris, Vettori and, lastly, Adams with gusto. But having earlier lost two of their most influential batsmen – Andy Flower and Andy Blignaut – to needless run outs it was never likely to be anything more than an adequate target on a slow yet benign pitch. I was a bit worried when Heather suddenly came out with: “Is 102 for 23 a good score?” What she meant to ask was what did I think of Zimbabwe’s 102 for five after 23 overs. “Not bad, but they will do well to win now that Andy Flower is out. Why do you ask?” I said. “I’m just interested,” came back the reply. Imagine, then, my concern when tonight she asked: “Why are Arsenal taking Thierry Henry off?” Even she could see the flaw in Arsene Wenger’s tactical switch and soon afterwards Chelsea pulled the FA Cup quarter-final back to all-square, much to my annoyance. Either this means Arsenal need to find themselves a new manager, or I might have to take up yet another obscure interest in order to safeguard my independent lifestyle!
                   

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