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Stuart Broad is confident that Alastair Cook is ready to withstand the pressures of the England captaincy, as the build-up begins ahead of the first ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. Cook inherited the role when Andrew Strauss opted out of the tour following an arduous series in South Africa, despite not having featured in a 50-over contest since November 2008. But Broad is confident that the new leader will rise above all the obstacles that are placed in his way.”Alastair has taken over with a lot of confidence and slotted into the regime very well,” said Broad. “He’s worked well over the past year and is enjoying the responsibility – and the players are enjoying it. I’m sure he’ll be nervous on Sunday but everyone’s behind him and doing their best to help him. We’ve had some really good preparation, we’ve got used to the conditions and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”At the age of 25, Cook is perceived in some quarters as too inexperienced for such a high-profile role, and Bangladesh’s coach, Jamie Siddons, ramped up the pressure on Friday by saying he hoped that the decision to rest Strauss would come back to “bite him on the bum”. But Broad insisted that the entire squad was rallying behind the stand-in skipper, and had no doubts about his aptitude for the role.”Cooky’s captained all through the age groups and is quite experienced in the captaincy role, and I’m looking forward to playing under him,” said Broad. “We’re trying to push him to the front of the bus because that’s where the captain sits, but he still sits at the back of the bus and gets involved in the banter. He’ll always be a nice bloke. Being captain doesn’t change you in any way because you’ve still got to socialise with the lads.”Regardless of who is in charge – and Broad has had a fair range of leaders in his international career, including Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood – there’s only one player who really matters when a bowler is stood at the top of his mark. “You rely a lot on yourself as you are the one who’s got to deliver the ball, but it’s going to be a good challenge for Cooky,” said Broad. “The team are looking forward to it, and are ready to get back into international cricket.”Although England’s immediate thoughts are drifting towards the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in April and May, their long-term aspirations are focussed every bit as intently on the 2011 World Cup, which takes place in the subcontinent in exactly 12 months’ time. Among England’s challenges will be a group stage contest with Bangladesh in Chittagong, and Broad knows that the coming three matches could be their last chance for subcontinental practice before the tournament gets underway.”I think there are 20 ODIs before the next World Cup and we need to be together for the majority of that to be able to grow and bond and figure out players’ roles,” he said. “It’s always a learning experience and you have to bowl very differently to how you do in England. Line and length can sometimes be predictable over here, and batsmen can line you up. I think slower balls work really well over here.”Although England were routed 5-0 on their tour of India in November 2008, they do have some happy memories of the subcontinent to fall back on, and their impressive victory in Sri Lanka in 2007 is one of Broad’s earliest memories as an international cricketer.”I had some notes that I looked up from [that] tour,” said Broad. “I had quite a successful tour over there and I wrote a few things down – using slower balls at certain times of an over as the lack of pace on it made hitting a boundary more difficult – and that’s something I’ll be looking to use over here. At my age I came to the conclusion I’ll have the chance to tour these places again. If I have a few things to look at in the future, it will be useful to see if I did well or badly in a certain place.”I think everyone will learn a lot from this tour,” he added. “No-one in the England camp thinks this is going to be a walk-over. We need to perform well as you do in every international to win. We need to continue the momentum we got from beating South Africa in South Africa. If we don’t there’s no point in being here, because we need to come here and win.”

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly believes the team’s strong bowling lineup may help turn their fortunes around in the third season of the IPL. Having finished sixth and last in the last two editions Ganguly felt the pace arsenal, led by New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, would be crucial for a turnaround.”We will be getting the services of Shane Bond from the second match,” Ganguly said. “His raw pace can make a lot of difference. There is Ishant Sharma, who is a current India player. We have a seasoned campaigner in Ajit Agarkar. I wouldn’t count Eklak Ahmid out as he is a left-arm pacer. Left-arm pacers have done quite well in the IPL. Eklak brings in the necessary variation. We have a good prospect in Varun Aaron, who can bowl at 90 miles per hour.”Ganguly, who was speaking at Eden Gardens after a practice session on Thursday, said he had almost finalised the composition of the squad for the first match against Deccan Chargers on March 12, also the tournament opener. “I have a fair idea about the kind of squad we would take to Mumbai for the first match. We will have a couple of practice matches before we take a final call.”He felt it would be difficult to choose four foreign players for the matches. “When you have players like Chris Gayle, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis in your ranks, it becomes a difficult choice.”He was also unsure about his batting position – whether he would open or bat one-drop. “Throughout my international career, I have mostly opened or batted at No. 3,” Ganguly said. “Though I haven’t decided, it will be either opening or at No. 3.”Manoj Tiwary, a new recruit, Ashok Dinda and Wriddhiman Saha are involved in the Deodhar Trophy and will not be available for the KKR preparatory camp but Ganguly said he wasn’t too bothered. “It’s always good to play matches,” he said. “They will get some serious match practice in the process.”He also said that the form of Saha and Dinda was not a worrying factor. “Wriddhi, in fact, batted well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy,” Ganguly said. “But he is batting way down at No. 6 whereas he should be batting up the order. Laxmi [Ratan Shukla] is bowling pretty well but he also needs to score runs. Dinda did pretty well. But we played mostly on good batting wickets where the batsman made good use of the Powerplay overs.”

The former West Indies captain, Richie Richardson, has welcomed the appointment of Ottis Gibson as the new head coach of the WICB, and believes that the over-arching nature of his new role is precisely what cricket in the Caribbean has been crying out for.In a departure from previous appointments, Gibson has been given responsibility not only for the top-level West Indies sides, but all representative teams across the Caribbean. Announcing the appointment on CBC Radio on Monday, the chief executive of WICB, Ernest Hilaire, explained that Gibson would be given “an opportunity to stamp a particular style of coaching a West Indies way”.That announcement is music to Richardson’s ears. “I’ve always said that whoever comes in has to be responsible for cricket throughout the Caribbean, and not just the top Test players,” he told Cricinfo. “The coach has to be at the top of a pyramid that goes right through West Indies cricket, from the grass-roots right through to the top. That’s how we are going to make a difference.”Richardson, who was Gibson’s captain during his Test debut at Lord’s in 1995, believes that the new man has the presence and personality to thrive in the role, as well as the fundamental coaching skills that have been honed during his lengthy stint in English cricket, firstly at Durham and since 2007 as England’s bowling coach.”I have no doubt that he will do well,” said Richardson. “Ottis is a person who gets on with other people and players, and when he was playing for West Indies, he was a good team man. He’s a very passionate cricketer and a very good coach, and I just hope he gets the support he needs, from the WICB, and the people throughout the Caribbean.”It doesn’t matter how good you are as a coach if you are just given the best players,” he added. “If those best players came from nowhere, you are going to struggle. [The coach] has to be able to do something at the grass-roots level, so that he knows the young players as they come through the system and, when they reach the highest level, he already knows how to work with them, and they know exactly what is expected of them.”He just has to be given the time and the opportunity to prove himself, because I know he’s going to give everything. He loves West Indies cricket and he wants to see them do well.Gibson, who expects to be in situ in time for the home series against Zimbabwe next month, is West Indies’ first full-time appointment since the former coach, John Dyson, was sacked in August following the team’s strike-affected defeat against Bangladesh. However, the team is currently on a relative high, having silenced many of their critics with a spirited performance in a 2-0 Test defeat in Australia before Christmas.Central to West Indies’ current fortunes is their captain, Chris Gayle, who put his role in the player dispute to one side as he carried his bat for a magnificent 165 at Adelaide before following up with a blistering 72-ball 102 at Perth. His relationship with Dyson was never entirely smooth, but Richardson is confident that Gibson’s easygoing style of man-management will appeal to his laid-back nature.”It’s very important for the captain and coach to have a good relationship and understanding, but I’ve no problem that they’ll see eye-to-eye,” said Richardson. “Chris Gayle is a very cool guy, Gibson is a people’s person, so I don’t envisage any problems. They may have differences, but they will realise the importance of working as a partnership for the betterment of the team, and of West Indies cricket.”It so happens that Gibson is the first West Indian head coach since Roger Harper was in charge of the side at the start of the millennium, and follows on from a trio of Australians in Bennett King, David Moore and Dyson. Richardson, however, does not believe his nationality is as significant as his job specification.”I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter who coaches the team, as long as that person is going to contribute to the development of West Indies cricket,” he said. “When you bring in high-level coaches and pay the big money, but then they only coach the Test team, then that is misguided. It’s good that he’s a West Indian, but most importantly, that he is responsible for cricket throughout the region.”I’ve never had any doubts about the talent that we produce, my concern was always about the structures and systems that we had in place. We’ve never had the right or proper structures for [nurturing] the grassroots in the Caribbean. That’s what we got to look at, how to get the young players coming through.”

Matabeleland Tuskers beat Masvingo outfit Southern Rocks by an innings and 87 runs at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, in their first Logan Cup match of 2010.Gavin Ewing, the Tuskers’ new captain, won the toss and elected to field and a poor batting effort from the Rocks led to them collapsing for 149 in 56.5 overs. Alester Maregwede top scored for the visitors with 42. Captain Steve Tikolo made 33 while fellow countryman Thomas Odoyo and opener Tendai Marichi contributed 21 and 10 respectively.Fast bowler Christopher Mpofu performed for Tuskers, claiming 3 for 31 in 14 overs while Keegan Meth took 3 for 14. Debutant Gerald Aliseni made an impression by taking 2 for 29 while star spinner John Nyumbu and Tawanda Mupariwa claimed one each.Charles Coventry batted superbly in Tuskers’ first innings, proving during his unbeaten 100 why he is among the best in Zimbabwe. Other Tuskers batsmen who impressed were Gregory Strydom (87), Dion Ebrahim (82), Ewing (71), and Sean Williams (71) as Tuskers piled up 456 for 5 before the declaration.Rocks started their second innings on the third day and were dismissed for 220 when they needed 307 to make Tuskers bat again. There was a notable performance from Tendai Machiri, who scored 79, and Tikolo contributed 61. Rocks missed the services of batsman Eric Chauluka who was injured while fielding in the Tuskers innings.Zimbabwe A spinner Nyumbu continued his good form from the first half of the season, claiming 4 for 29, while Mpofu took 2 for 50. Meth, Mupariwa and Strydom claimed onewicket each.Tuskers coach Robin Brown was happy with the performance of his team.”We had a good start and I only hope that this is the beginning of good things to come this half of the season,” he said.

At the end of rain and bad-light hit fourth day’s play, in which Pakistan erased a deficit and eked out a 99-run lead while New Zealand managed four wickets, two key figures on either side were backing their team to claim the final day.Faisal Iqbal, whose chancy 67 was one half of a crucial third-wicket partnership which helped Pakistan take the lead, put faith in the batsmen to follow. Martin Guptill, whose first chance to bowl in Test cricket snapped a century opening stand, believed New Zealand could dismiss Pakistan as cheaply as possible before allowing their batsmen chase down a hopefully-small total.After the early loss of the well-set openers Imran Farhat and Salman Butt, both to the innocuous offspin of greenhorn bowler Guptill, the onus fell on Faisal and his captain Mohammad Yousuf to carry on the good work. That they did, adding 128 even though it wasn’t always a convincing effort. Yousuf had a let-off when Guptill missed a run-out chance after a suicidal call for a single and Faisal was reprieved after a caught-behind decision was reviewed. Hot-spot supported on-field umpire Billy Doctrove’s verdict that the noise was ball on the batsman’s thigh pad.”That was a critical partnership during that period between me and Yousuf ,” said Faisal. “It has set a better milestone for the batsmen to come tomorrow and settle down for a long innings.””At the moment we are in a very good position. Tomorrow is very crucial, especially in the first two hours. The way Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar [Akmal] batter before stumps showed that if they hang in their for at least two hours we can be in a good position. If we bat all day it will give a good result. It was a very good day for our team, especially [because] the batsmen did well. They put in their heart and soul and batted the whole day.”According to Guptill, New Zealand could “definitely” win this Test. “They are 100 ahead but you just put a couple wickets in early and they’re under the pump,” he said.Guptill, had never bowled a ball in Test cricket and had just a solitary first-class wicket, opened the bowling and removed the openers in quick succession to leave Pakistan wobbling. It was a surprise for Guptill, who was told about five minutes before he went out that he would get the ball.”We just needed to fill an over because Chris [Martin] wanted to come from the other end, then I got a wicket so just kept going,” he said. “Once I got the first couple [overs] out of the way I was alright. I’m pretty stoked to be able to get two wickets in Test cricket. I’d like to say I just did them in the air, but that’s probably not the case.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMohammad Asif’s four wickets ensured Pakistan dominated the second day in Wellington•Getty Images

It’s a venue that Pakistan’s bowlers have enjoyed more than those from any other side over the last two decades, and they celebrated the Basin Reserve’s fiftieth Test in fitting style, destroying New Zealand’s top order with another clinical performance that left them superbly placed to level the series. After extending their first innings to 264, thanks largely to Kamran Akmal’s enterprising 70, the bowlers immediately got down to business, exploiting the conditions and the huge flaws in the techniques of the New Zealand batsmen, bundling them out for 99 and taking their overall lead to 229 by stumps.Save for a brief four-over period when New Zealand took the last three Pakistan wickets and a spell just before close of play, the day belonged entirely to the visitors. Mohammad Aamer did his now customary trick of taking a wicket in his first over – is he the new first-over specialist after Daryl Tuffey? – and consistently bowled in the mid-140s, Mohammad Asif operated in his usual channel around off and seamed the ball both ways, Umar Gul was the perfect first-change bowler offering New Zealand no respite, while Danish Kaneria befuddled the lower order with his bag of tricks.While the four-pronged bowling attack gave little away, New Zealand put in yet another shambolic batting display, as their poor defensive techniques and shot selection were ruthlessly exposed. None of their batsmen came to terms with the ball seaming around in both directions, and they made it worse for themselves with some poor strokeplay. None was more guilty than Brendon McCullum, who chased his first ball – a wide one – and edged to second slip when New Zealand had already lost five wickets with little on the board.From the moment Aamer started his first over, it was clear New Zealand would have their hands full. His fourth ball to Guptill swung back and rapped him on the pads; the next one left him, clipped the edge, and New Zealand’s opening pair had failed to last the first over for the third time in three innings.That was one of two overs Pakistan bowled before lunch and the slide continued after the break. Asif flummoxed Tim McIntosh and forced an inside edge to short leg, and should have had Daniel Flynn in similar fashion had Salman Butt not dropped a regulation catch. Ross Taylor was the only batsman to play with confidence – he raced to 30 from 40 balls, showing decisive footwork and driving confidently through the off side off the fast bowlers. His judgement failed him, though, when Gul slipped in an indipper that took the off stump after Taylor left it alone.Peter Fulton was a walking wicket once again, shuffling indecisively to a straight and full one on the stumps, but New Zealand really crumbled after tea, going from 85 for 4 to 99 all out in the space of six overs. It’s a fate that has often befallen New Zealand sides of the past against Pakistan, and this time it was Asif who started the slide. Flynn’s painstaking knock ended when he was trapped in front of off by one that straightened – the review failed to save him – and when McCullum fell next ball, Asif was on a hat-trick. Vettori averted it, but was, for once, unable to lead another rearguard effort as Kaneria snuffed out the tail in a trice. More than just the three wickets he got, what would have worried Vetorri was the amount of turn he extracted from the second-day pitch.Apart from Taylor, the one batsman who was comfortable batting on the surface was Kamran Akmal, who showed plenty of skill and aggressive intent in his 70. His 64-run stand with Gul – the largest of the innings – kept New Zealand in the field much longer than they would have liked in the opening session. Both batsmen went after the bowling, with Kamran lacing drives confidently through the covers to bring up his second half-century of the series. When New Zealand did get Rudi Koertzen to raise the finger against Kamran, the lbw decision was overturned on review, with replays suggesting it would have gone over the top of the stumps.Throughout the day, the bounce on the track kept the bowlers interested: the last 30 minutes was a huge test for Pakistan’s batsmen, with O’Brien, who bowled an inspired spell, exceeding 140 kph, peppering the batsmen with plenty of short deliveries, and getting Butt with one such delivery that had him all tangled up and gloving to Taylor in the slips.Imran Farhat was consumed by the pace and movement too but, despite that lion-hearted effort, the story of the day remained New Zealand’s abject collapse. In their last two Tests at this ground, Pakistan have had one bowler winning them the match – it was Wasim Akram in 1994 and Shoaib Akhtar in 2003. The spoils were shared this time around, but the end result could be just as emphatic for Pakistan.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRahul Dravid scored more runs than he has ever done in a day’s play•Associated Press

Rahul Dravid’s 27th century – and tenth 150-plus score – carried more intent than probably any of his Test innings, and helped by MS Dhoni’s second century and Yuvraj Singh’s seventh half-century, led India’s remarkable comeback from 32 for 4 in the first half hour. Along the way, he took part in his 77th and 78th 100-run partnerships (both world records), scored more runs than he ever has in a day’s play, crossed Steve Waugh to become the fifth-highest run-getter in Tests, reached 11,000 career runs, and most importantly undid the superb start that two rookies gave Sri Lanka. Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad were last-minute replacements for Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara, but they combined to give India flashbacks of their previous Test in Ahmedabad, when they were shot out for 76 by South Africa.Test cricket it might be, but it rattled along at breathtaking pace and refused to slow down even with wickets falling. At the heart of it was Dravid. He was outscored by Yuvraj during their 125-run fifth-wicket partnership, the main feature of which was majestic driving by both batsmen. He then kept up with Dhoni, who made him run frantically between the wickets during their 224-run stand. Dravid, perhaps tired of the running, kept finding the boundary throughout his innings, reaching his fifty in 79 balls, hundred in 158, and 150 in 216. Dravid’s pace – 110 of his unbeaten 177 coming in boundaries – allowed India’s run-rate to stay over four almost throughout the day.Acceleration wouldn’t have been the first thing on his mind when he came in to bat in the third over of the innings, and saw three more wickets fall around him in the next five. Especially when he saw the ball swing from left-arm bowler Welegedara, who created doubts by mixing it up with deliveries that went straight on. The straighter ones got Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar, the swinging one Sehwag. His 3 for 12 was complemented by Dammika Prasad, who removed VVS Laxman.All four wickets for Sri Lanka had come attacking the stumps, and they continued doing just that. Dravid and Yuvraj, having realised this wasn’t a beast to bat on, counterattacked. Dravid got going through late clips off his pads, Yuvraj through a thick edge past gully. Immediately, though, Yuvraj corrected it with a picture-perfect cover-drive. Sangakkara perhaps missed a trick by introducing Angelo Mathews before Muttiah Muralitharan, and both Yuvraj and Dravid enjoyed the gentle pace and length balls. A couple of classy shots from Dravid later, the two had added 34 in 32 deliveries even before Murali was introduced.Yuvraj faced the first over from Murali, and showed good judgement of the topspinner and regular offbreak. Driving through the line looked easy while the two were at it. Rangana Herath – playing ahead of Ajantha Mendis – was never allowed to settle, and was restricted to bowling flat deliveries, that too only minutes before the first two session breaks.Dravid saw off Welegedara’s swing with three boundaries in one over just after lunch, which summed up how well he played. One of the them was clipped late, to the right of midwicket, the next was cover-driven all along the ground, and the third flicked to the left of midwicket – all despite the swing.Yuvraj’s innings wasn’t as spotless, despite three high-elbow off-drives for the photo album. Prasad, in his later spells either side of lunch, found his body with bouncers. Yuvraj bottom-edged a pull for four, upper-cut over slips for another, but then made his first outright mistake in Murali’s next over, the bowler’s seventh. He stepped out, saw he was beaten in the flight, but as opposed to thrusting his pad forward, he presented it both bat and pad.There was little joy for Murali apart from that, as Dravid played two of his best drives off him just before tea: one against the spin through extra cover, the other straight down the ground. The second one carried him to 98, and Dhoni by that time had slyly reached 29 off 49 balls. His rate was only to go up, hitting Murali for a four and a straight six. Between those shots, Dravid took a single to reach his hundred, and even before he finished the 100th run he exulted, as demonstrative a celebration for a century as Dravid has ever got into.For Dhoni the accumulation continued. He would walk out to spinners, and place them either side of midwicket, and run. That rattled Sri Lanka’s plans, and with single-saving fields Dravid kept finding boundaries. Dhoni was 38 when Dravid reached 100; by the time Dravid reached 150, Dhoni had 85. In that period, Dravid hit eight boundaries, and Dhoni three. Such was Dhoni’s efficiency.Dhoni reached his century with a typical, step-out-and-push, but fell just before stumps, which gave Sri Lanka a glimpse but it seemed to get Dravid – closing in on a double – they would need more than just the glimpse.

The notion of a World Test Championship has been given further credence after representatives from the ICC Cricket Committee and the MCC World Cricket Committee met in Dubai to discuss the general landscape of the game, with specific reference to the place of Tests and ODIs in a broader context.The delegates present at the meeting included the current South Africa coach, Mickey Arthur, the leading umpire, Simon Taufel, and Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, and there was a general agreement that Test cricket must remain the pinnacle of the sport, and that a more meaningful context – such as some form of Test championship – would help raise interest in that format of the game.”It was a very productive and interesting meeting held in a good spirit of cooperation,” said Clive Lloyd, the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. “The MCC has some great cricketing minds on its committee, people with a huge amount to offer the game. And so do we at the ICC. It was fascinating to hear those views expressed in such a positive and engaging forum as this.”The findings of the meeting tally with an MCC survey, in which 1500 fans were polled in India, South Africa and New Zealand. More than 80% of Indian fans said that they were at least regular followers of Test cricket, but fans from all three countries believed that a World Test Championship would raise interest in the sport.A number of possible enhancements for Test cricket were discussed at the meeting, including the idea of day-night Tests, rebranding the concept of Test cricket, making the playing regulations more flexible from series to series while also remaining mindful of the long tradition of the game.The delegates also discussed the ODI format and how that needs to remain viable and popular. It was accepted that international cricket can and should sustain the three formats of Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals in the long term but that ODIs must redevelop their own identity with the balance between bat and ball improved.”I want to thank the ICC for the invitation to meet in this way,” said Tony Lewis, the MCC World Cricket Committee Chairman. “Some of the many things we at the MCC have worked on over the past 12 months – such as a Test match championship, umpire referrals and research into pink balls – we were able to share and express our opinions. It has been an excellent, rewarding workshop that has produced some good ideas.”The observations of this joint-meeting will be presented to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee at its next meeting, which takes place in Dubai on 30 November and 1 October.Present at the meeting were:ICC Cricket Committee Clive Lloyd (chairman), Mickey Arthur, Warren Deutrom, David Kendix, Tim May, David Richardson, Ravi Shastri, Simon Taufel, Mark TaylorMCC World Cricket Committee Tony Lewis (chairman), Geoffrey Boycott, Keith Bradshaw, Tony Dodemaide, Majid Khan, Shaun Pollock, Barry Richards, Michael Tissera, Courtney WalshAlso in attendance David Morgan (ICC president), Haroon Lorgat (ICC chief executive), John Stephenson (MCC assistant secretary) and Hugh Morris (England & Wales Cricket Board).

Former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed has been awarded a testimonial for the next season by Sussex for his “exceptional service” to the team for the last six years.Mushtaq, who is part of England’s coaching set-up, will continue his part-time coaching duties with Sussex in 2010. “It has been a pleasure representing Sussex since 2003 and I now look at Hove as a home away from home,” Mushtaq said. “I enjoyed every single moment with this remarkable county and it makes me happy to see them winning more trophies this year. I thank everyone involved in making 2010 my testimonial year.”In 2003 Mushtaq became the first bowler in five years to take 100 wickets in the English season, a return that was instrumental in guiding Sussex to the first Championship title in their history, a feat he and they repeated in 2006 and 2007. He has taken 478 wickets at 25.34 for Sussex over six seasons, with 40 five-fors and 15 ten-wicket hauls.Jim May, the Sussex chairman, said Mushtaq was arguably Sussex’s best-ever signing. “His leg spin bowling was the X-factor in winning our first ever County Championship in 2003, a feat repeated in 2006 and 2007. Aside from his cricket, Mushy is also one of the most popular figures in the Sussex cricket family. His friendly, supportive and inspirational manner means he will always be welcome at Sussex.”

If South Africa do wish to win a major competition, perhaps hosting itisn’t the best way to go about it. Back in 2003, an inability to makesense of the Duckworth-Lewis chart at Kingsmead saw them eliminated beforethe Super-Six stage. Then, two years ago, Rohit Sharma’s defiance with thebat and a tigerish Indian display in the field saw them fall short of thetarget that would have ensured qualification for the World Twenty20semi-finals. Till that point, they hadn’t lost a game in the tournament.Now, in a competition that was supposed to be the perfect stage for themto reemphasise their new status as the world’s top side, they findthemselves at the wrong end of an embarrassingly one-sided defeat on theopening day. At least now there’ll be no confusion. There’s no margin forerror. Another defeat, and it’s off to bed without the No. 1 dessert forGraeme Smith and his boys.Everything that could have gone wrong today did, but in truth South Africadidn’t help themselves either. Winning the toss and bowling first, withboth Roelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha in the side, struck severalpeople as being slightly bizarre, especially with Muttiah Muralitharan andAjantha Mendis in the opposition ranks. There was no great smattering ofgrass on the surface, and little evidence to suggest that the openingbowlers could scythe through a Sri Lankan line-up with several batsmen interrific form.Smith’s bowlers then compounded his error by bowling dross. Dale Steyn wasthe honourable exception to the general rule. Tillakaratne Dilshan, unlikemany batsmen from the subcontinent, thrives on the cut and pull, and youngWayne Parnell proceeded to feed those two strokes with distressingregularity. After a couple of overs, it should have been pretty obviousthat this wasn’t a surface on which you strove for variation, but thescattergun approach was persisted with until the Sri Lankan run-ratetouched seven an over.Even after the game though, Smith insisted that he wouldn’t have doneanything differently. “The wicket played really well throughout,” he said.”We were just tentative with the ball. We lacked the basics. I don’t knowif our not having played for three months had anything to do with it, butDilshan played really well upfront.”We weren’t able to hit the channels. We bowled both sides of the wicket.It was only after 16 overs and the first drinks break that we got somesort of control.”Questions also need to be asked of how South Africa chose to prepare forthis event. The other leading sides had meaningful competition [though howmeaningful Australia will consider their 6-1 romp over England remains tobe seen] before they journeyed to the highveld, while South Africa’s onlyouting was against a side that can generously be called West Indies C.Prior to the match, Smith had spoken of how they would attack Mendis basedon what other teams, notably India and Pakistan, had done against him.That ignored two factors. Firstly, the Indians struggled horribly againsthim last year, both in the Asia Cup and also the Test series thatfollowed. It was only with increased exposure that they developed somesemblance of a tactic to combat him. As for Pakistan, they’re blessed withsome freakish bowlers of their own, in addition to being pretty handyagainst spin. To think that gung-ho would work just as well for SouthAfrica was to tempt fate, and the memories of two Durban cock-ups shouldhave been reminder enough that you shouldn’t do that.”The first time you see a bowler, it’s always a challenge,” Smith said of Mendis.”He bowled well tonight. We’ll be better for the experience. He showedgreat control and variety.”There were words of encouragement for Parnell – “he’s still young;he’s going to have his ups and downs” – but the time for talk is now longgone. “Today was a good wake-up call” was Smith’s final assessment, but ifhe and his team don’t rouse themselves from off-season slumber onThursday, dreams of undisputed-champion status will become yet anothernightmare.