Wish you were here XI

This is an XI from current cricketers who, for various reasons, will not be gracing this World Cup.

Hershelle Gibbs
His autobiography may have been a gripping read, but its vivid depiction of the cliques in the South African dressing room helped end his international career. Which is a great shame, because, even at 36, Gibbs’s panache and audacity at the crease, best illustrated in his 111-ball 175 against Australia, have the capacity to thrill – as does his fielding.

Marcus Trescothick
For a man often described as ‘stand and deliver’ in his style, Trescothick is remarkably nimble on his feet. Of all the examples of his clean striking in the opening overs of ODI innings, perhaps the best was against Glenn McGrath in the Champions Trophy in 2004: Trescothick, happy to charge virtually any quick, drove McGrath for four consecutive boundaries. If he made himself available, there is no doubt Trescothick would have been opening for England: Andrew Strauss’s forays down the wicket look almost apologetic in comparison.

VVS Laxman
Too orthodox for ODIs? Perhaps, but tell Australia, against who he’s scored four centuries at an average of 46. If Hashim Amla can become the top-ranked one-day batsman in the world, it seems strange that there is no place for Laxman in India’s side. His classical style looks incongruous in Twenty20, certainly, but a man with his range of shots and ability to accelerate could be invaluable in ODIs.

Brad Hodge
Despite seven centuries in his past 20 Australian domestic one-day games and a limited overs know-how few batsmen can match, there’s no place for Hodge at the World Cup. Labelled the “hard-luck story of the century” by Matthew Hayden, it’s pretty hard to argue – rumours that he never fitted into the Australian dressing room are one potential explanation.

Owais Shah
Overly intense and a shoddy fielder he may be, but Shah has a six-hitting ability England appear to lack in their middle-order. That much was epitomised by an 89-ball 98, with six maximums, against South Africa in the 2009 Champions Trophy. And his ease against spin helped him average 59 in England’s last one-day series in India. In the absence of Eoin Morgan, could Shah have been England’s finisher?

Zulqarnain Haider
Remembered for fleeing mid-series against South Africa last year, promising to blow the whistle on match-fixers, Haider retired from cricket aged just 24. Those who saw his superbly gritty 88 on Test debut last summer will know he should be in south Asia now, rather than England.

Albie Morkel
The ‘next Klusener’ will not be appearing in the World Cup. For a fifth bowler, he was always too liable to be expensive with the ball. Nevertheless, South Africa may long for him when chasing eight-an-over: Morkel can exploit the batting powerplay like few others, most notably when looting Australia for 40* (off 18) and 40 (off 22) in two match-winning innings down under in 2009.

Mohammad Nabi
Afghanistan’s skipper will rue the change in the format from 2007: if 16 teams were permitted as they were then, he would be appearing in the World Cup. An off-spinning all-rounder who also has a first-class hundred to his name, Nabi is a useful cricketer who, with 13 wickets at 10 in the World Twenty20 qualifiers last year, did more than anyone to secure Afghanistan’s place in that tournament.

Mohammed Amir
Yes, yes, we know why he won’t be playing, and that is right. But there’s no denying the sight of Amir’s mastery of the left-arm craft would have added to the tournament. Facing him under lights is not a prospect any opener would relish.

Simon Jones
The notion of a fit Jones may seem ridiculous, but his performances in the Carribbean Twenty20 competition, including claiming 4-10 in four overs, served as a reminder of his reverse swing mastery of ’05, as well as his oft-ignored subtleties. Still capable of touching 90mph, could he yet play for England again, if used in a manner akin to Australia with Shaun Tait?

Shane Bond
A slight cheat of a selection in that he’s retired, but what a shame it is. His last series – nine wickets at 21 against Australia last year – suggested Bond still possessed a genuine threat at international level. With express pace and canny use of bouncers, yorkers, cutters and slower balls alike Bond, even at 35, would have provided New Zealand’s attack with the cutting edge they are conspicuously lacking.

Championship review - Week 8

As we move in to the 20:Twenty break, just 19 points separate the whole of Division 1 as last week’s leaders lose and the bottom team win in thrilling matches. In Division 2 Warwickshire’s charge to promotion continues while Middlesex finally show some batting form.

Division 1
Last week’s leaders Somerset entertained a much changed Yorkshire team, who only fielded four specialist batsmen and had Jacques Rudolph opening in place of the out of form Joe Sayers. The changes worked as Yorks made 372, with Rudolph making 155. This was enough for a healthy first innings lead as the home side struggled to 258. Yorks then lost both openers for ducks and despite a second 50 in the match for Andrew Gale, the total of 202 meant that Somerset needed 323 to win. Despite a century from Zander de Bruyn, Somerset finished 40 runs short and Yorkshire replace Somerset at the top of the table.

Last week I said that Hampshire were struggling and this looked to be continuing as Durham’s Callum Thorp took five wickets to restrict Hants to 239. The returning Shane Bond also took 5-fer as Durham made just 202 to give Hants a small lead. Steve Harmison took 6 wickets second time round, but 74 from Dimi Mascaranhas gave Hants a total of 256 and meant that Durham needed 294 for victory. Losing their 9th wicket at 232, victory looked a long way off, but Harmison and Mark Mavies took Durham to within four runs before Bond took the crucial wicket. Hants climb to equal 5th with Durham, but only two points ahead of bottom club, Surrey.

Poor weather in the south east of the country restricted Kent and Sussex to just two days play. Kent were indebted to a century from Justin Kemp to allow them to declare on 350 for 8, while Sussex called a halt 50 runs shy of that, also for 8 wickets. There was only just enough time for Kent to start their innings, and Joe Denly have a dent made in his average, before the game was called to a close.

Rain also played a part as Lancashire entertained Nottinghamshire. Lancs scored 384 in their first innings with Steven Croft getting a century. Mark Wagh made 94 as Notts made 304 in reply. Lancs then declared on 234 for 6 to try to force a result and at 46 for 3 there seemed to be a glimmer of hope. However, 71 from Chris Read put paid to any thoughts of victory and the spoils were shared.

Division 2
Ian Westwood scored 176 as Warwickshire put on 421 against Glamorgan. The Welshmen fell well short of the follow on with James Anyon taking 6-fer as they made just 248. They did better second time round, but with 19 year old Chris Woakes (below right) taking 5 wickets for the first time in first class cricket, Glamorgan made 355 to set the Bears a winning target of 183, which they reached for the loss of 5 wickets, Westwood making another 50. Warwickshire are clear at the top of the table and look well set to go straight back up again.

















Left: Glamorgan's David Harrison takes a breather as Warwickshire pile on the runs.
Right: Warwickshire's impressive Chris Woakes on his way to 5 wickets in the 2nd innings (Pics c/o RTE).

Tim Murtagh took six wickets as Middlesex skittled Essex for just 161 runs. The much vaunted Middlesex batting line up then fired as only Ed Smith of the top 6 didn’t reach 50 and Owais Shah scored 144 in a total of 583, despite Danesh Kaneria’s seven wickets. Batting 422 runs behind, Essex made a decent fist of trying to make Middlesex bat again, but with Murtagh taking another four wickets they made 384 and Middlesex won by an innings to move to 3rd in the table.

Gloucestershire are the only team in Division 2 without a win and they started well against Northamptonshire, Marcus North top scoring with 96 in a total of 475. The was enough for a big lead as Northants only just avoided the follow on, scoring 329 despite a ton from Stephen Peters. However, Gloucester collapsed in their second innings, with David Lucas taking 5 wickets as they made just 142 to set Northants a target of 289 to win. Robert White hit an unbeaten 132 as Northants reached their total for the loss of just four wickets. They remain in contention at the top of the table and even more pleasingly, the major contributors to this latest win were English born and bred.

Worcestershire have started the season well without getting the results but they were skittled by Derbyshire for just 151 and were indebted to a final wicket stand of 50 between Steve Magoffin and Simon Jones to get that far. Derby were seven wickets down for around the same score, but a ton from wicket keeper James Pipe with support from Graham Wagg took Derby to 356 and a healthy lead. Jones took five wickets for Worcester to continue his promising return to form. Worcester did worse second time round, scoring just 110 to hand Derby an innings victory.

England Player Watch
Michael Carberry showed something of a return to form for Hants, although opportunities are likely to be limited at the top of the England batting order. Owais Shah hit a big century, while Ravi Bopara was the pick of a poor Essex batting line up. Matt Prior scored just one for Sussex, while Chris Read’s match saving 71 was a large improvement on his first innings golden duck.

Chris Tremlett took a couple of wickets in each innings for Hants, while Steve Harmison took 6-fer for Durham in the same game. Tim Bresnan outbowled his opening bowling partner, the returning Matthew Hoggard by 6 wickets to 4 while Adil Rashid also picked up 4 wickets and will be hoping for a drier second half to the season.

Player of the Week
I seem to be saying this every week, but it’s a tricky call. Jacques Rudolph and Shane Bond are the main contenders from Division 1. However, this week’s winner is from Division 2 and yet another wicket keeping win. Despite Ian Westwood's two fine innings and Graham Wagg’s all round contribution for Derby for a career best 133 in a low scoring game, the player of the week is Derbyshire’s James Pipe.

Hants vs Sussex, Opening Day Report

After viewing my first competitive county cricket of the season, I thought I would report my impressions of defending champions Sussex and my own side, Hampshire.



The opening day of the new County Championship season was blessed with glorious sunshine at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire. Opting to bat, title holders Sussex had an early scare when Shane Bond was rewarded for some aggressive bowling with the wicket of opener Carl Hopkinson, clean bowling him for just 7. However, with both Chris Tremlett and Dimitri Mascarenhas strangely out of sorts, the Sharks slowly began to recover through Chris Nash and Michael Yardy. However, both batsmen fell just before the fifty mark and James Tomlinson was the man who made the first breakthrough, just before lunch. A splendid catch was taken at slip by James Adams and Nash (47) was on his way. Immediately after the lunch break, Yardy (46) attempted an ill advised hook shot off of Bond and simply guided the ball to Chris Tremlett at long leg. Hampshire were suddenly back in the game and possibly even on top. Out strode Murray Goodwin and his captain, Chris Adams. Goodwin began solidly, but Adams started with a bang, showing an attacking intent, as he plundered a few quick boundaries. Clearly the Sussex captain wants his side to continue to play competitive cricket this year. However, he was soon overtaken by Goodwin, who was in sublime form. Some marvellous shots followed as the two experienced campaigners took the ineffectual Hampshire attack to the cleaners. Mascarenhas, Tremlett and Greg Lamb were going for too many, too fast and an early criticism of Mascarenhas would be that he bowled himself for too long and failed to give youngster Tomlinson, who had comfortably been the second best bowler in the morning session, a chance until over an hour and a half after the lunch interval. Upon Tomlinson's return, Adams (30) was on his way, edging a rising ball behind to the keeper. Sussex were though very much in the driving seat and Matt Prior was soon finding the gaps and building another big partnership with the ever dependable Goodwin.

Chris Tremlett ruffles Sussex Captain Chris Adams with a short pitched delivery

At this point it is worth pointing out that Hampshire went into this match with Greg Lamb as their only recognised spinner. He quite simply is not up to the task of being the primary spinner in four day cricket. He is adequate as a fifth or sixth bowler in limited overs cricket, but offers no real threat to a batsman with time on his side. Hampshire fans will hope that Liam Dawson soon finds himself in the side, as Lamb, whilst being a multi-dimensional cricketer, is your typical jack of all trades, who tends to excel at none unfortunately. To go from Shane Warne and Shaun Udal, bowling in tandem, to Greg Lamb would make a grown man cry, and it nearly did! To conclude this point, Lamb is the classic example of a below average kolpak signing who is blocking the path of a promising home grown youngster and I hope that the situation is soon resolved, or Hampshire will struggle to pose a spinning threat to opposition sides.

Matt Prior cover drives Greg Lamb for another boundary

Back to the action and Goodwin and Prior were in blistering form and Goodwin soon brought up his hundred. It was a chanceless knock and one of the best I have seen. Prior soon brought up his own landmark, as he passed fifty. He is an assured batsman who could yet find himself in an England side as a specialist bat. All looked lost at 317-4 and the weather forecast was already being discussed. Then, just at the last, along came Bond, Shane Bond (I had to!). Back to the pavilion went Prior (62), Luke Wright came and went for a duck, he was joined by Robin Martin-Jenkins (1) and Ragheb Aga (0) and all of a sudden Hampshire were on top on what has so far been a very good batting wicket. Next, Tremlett found some late form and removed the dangerman Goodwin, for a brilliantly played 121. Bond then wrapped up the innings with the removal of Mushtaq Ahmed (1), to finish with figures of 19.1-2-66-7, Chris Liddle the not out man (4*).

Shane Bond sends down another blistering delivery

The five overs left in the day were faced by Michael Carberry and Michael Brown and it was the former who fell victim to Martin-Jenkins for just two. Tomlinson survived the remaining few overs as night watchmen to set up a curious day’s play tomorrow.


Comment

The second opening slot appears to be a problem for Sussex as was feared. However, the middle order is still on the money and in Yardy, Goodwin, Adams and Prior, Sussex have a very experienced and able batting line up. Add in the ability of both Luke Wright and Martin-Jenkins to take the game away from an opponent in a flash and it is not good news for the other title hopefuls. It remains to be seen though whether or not the pace bowling will be up to the challenge of the season ahead. On paper, minus Jason Lewry and new kolpak signing Ryan Harris, the attack does not look that strong, with only Mushtaq the stand out threat. However, at full strength Sussex have variety and a quality XI.

Hampshire on the other hand were very reliant on Bond today. He is an excellent player, who is capable of blowing a tail away, a very useful ability indeed. Tomlinson’s performance was though the most pleasing aspect of the day, as he was threatening and deserving of at least another wicket. Mascarenhas’ captaincy is in it’s infancy, but it appears as though he will follow Shane Warne’s policy of attacking the opposition, which is commendable. He needs to rely less on himself though and put a bit more faith in the younger players at his disposal, like Tomlinson and Dawson. Lamb was a rather defensive pick in my opinion, perhaps the prospect of playing Sussex contributed to his selection. David Griffiths meanwhile has shown himself to be more than capable of filling the shoes of a pace bowler in pre-season, so Hampshire are well covered in that respect for now. They will also have Sean Ervine back for the weekend match at Taunton, and more importantly, to cover Mascarenhas’ two week absence in May. It remains to be seen how the batting line up performs tomorrow, but the early loss of Carberry will not help matters. With Brown, Adams and Lamb still to come, Sussex will be confident of establishing a lead, although John Crawley and Nic Pothas will provide stout opposition.

Bond's name must not be tarnished

Shane Bond, when fit, has been an exhilarating sight. His appearances over six years for New Zealand may have been disappointingly spasmodic, but his pace, guile and one of the best yorkers around ensures he leaves many fine memories for cricket fans. But the lure of the dollar has proved too much, and, because of the ICC's draconian attitude towards those who sign up for the Indian Cricket League, Bond will probably never play for New Zealand again - despite the fact ICL commitments would not prevent him playing for the Kiwis in the forthcoming series with England.

It is a ludicrous situation, and will hit the already depleted New Zealand side extremely hard, but it would be unfair in the extreme to blame Bond. Even in a career that only spanned 17 Tests and 67 ODIs, few could deny his place as the second best Kiwi fast bowler of all time. Yet New Zealand are a small country new to the concept of professional sport; their Test crowds seldom exceed a few hundred. Bond has been the victim of copious injuries during his career - at 32, he cannot be blamed for looking after his earning power, which will be several times greater playing ICL cricket. He also claims he wants to play county cricket too - fitness permitting, there are few more desirable players around.

A charge frequently levelled against performers whose success is only fleeting is that they never proved themselves against the best. With Shane Bond, such an accusation cannot hold. In 11 ODIs against Australia, he has a stunning record: 34 wickets at 13. His havoc-wreaking spells of 5-25 and 4-38 during the 2002 VB series helped to ensure the competition was not lost amidst the sea of one-dayers. But his sensational spell in the 2003 World Cup cemented his reputation, regardless of whether he ever comes near repeating the feat again.

It was in this Super Six game that Bond proved on the world stage that, when fit, he is the consummate fast bowler. He had the height to trouble the world’s best with the bounce he generated. But it was his sheer pace and accuracy in pitching the ball up (he resisted the fast bowler’s temptation to bowl too short) that threw the tournament winners into disarray. Bond’s incredible spell amounted to 6-23 reduced Australia to 84-7.

Owing to Bond's penchant for obtaining injuries and the ICC's stubbornness over banning ICL players - the result chiefly of pressure from the BCCI - he will go down as a cricketing enigma, a man who gave only fleeting examples of his talent. Over the course of his career, though, there has been no finer fast bowler in the world. Bond's averages of 22 in Tests and 19 in ODIs are simply phenomenal in an era of bigger bats and shorter boundaries; he lit up two World Cups with his fusion of pace, aggression and an under-rated cricketing brain. It would be a disgrace if his name is tarnished and he is branded a 'traitor' for doing what any rational man would.

How can New Zealand get better?

New Zealand remain a reasonably competitive outfit in the limited-overs game, where their band of hard-hitting batsmen and the impact of star bowlers Shane Bond and Damien Vettori ensured two semi-final finishes in this year’s World Cups. In Test matches, however, they have regressed alarmingly. Memories of the combative side assembled by Stephen Fleming, able to draw in Australia, India, Sri Lanka and win in the West Indies, have long since faded.

Fleming has recently been replaced by Daniel Vettori though, given the quality of the side at his disposal, it is hard to overly blame him for a pair of innings defeats in South Africa.

New Zealand’s Test attack is desperately lacking in penetration when bereft of the superb, but perennially injured, Shane Bond. Vettori is a canny cricketer and fine ODI bowler, but his Test average of 38, discounting the minnows, illustrates the fact he is nothing more than a competent Test spin bowler. Elsewhere, Chris Martin can be useful in favourable conditions. But, as Jacques Kallis will testify, on flat pitches when Bond is either not playing or not at his best, the Kiwis possess a desperately unthreatening attack.

Their batting line-up is perhaps worse. Stephen Fleming is a solid Test performer, while Scott Styris is also a reasonable performer. Ross Taylor has shown immense promise in one-dayers but that is more or less that. The biggest problem, clearly, is the lack of quality opening batsmen.

New Zealand perform remarkably well for a country with such a small population in which cricket is not even the national sport. Their domestic game, as such, is probably as good as it realistically could be, though it must be depressing for fans to see Hamish Marshall and the international underachiever Craig Spearman performing well in county cricket at the expense of their international career. Financially, ODIs and Twenty20 games are much the more lucrative. But, as Vettori pointed out after their meek defeats in South Africa, to improve New Zealand simply must play more Tests. In their last 30 months, they have played 10 Tests against major opposition. Unless this is rectified, they could well find themselves slipping past the West Indies into eight spot in the Test rankings.

The decline of pace

One of the main factors contributing to the run soaked 2000s has been the lack of top quality Test pace bowlers. The decline has been so marked that since the recent retirement of Glenn McGrath it is hard to name one great quick bowler currently plying his trade. Shaun Pollock comes the closest, but his form has not been brilliant of late and he has a poor record against the best team of his era, Australia.

There are plenty of good seam and swing bowlers and even a few genuine fast bowlers, but none of them can be considered great, let alone all-time greats. It is a serious dearth, which threatens to make life even easier for Test batsmen, who continue to plunder runs and bolster their averages on batsman friendly surfaces.

The fast men

Of the current crop of pace bowlers only a handful can be considered fast. The best of these at the moment is, without doubt, Makhaya Ntini. His determination and enthusiasm, allied to ferocious pace, make him a fearsome prospect for most Test batsmen. Coming in from wide of the crease his deliveries often seem to spear into the batsman, forcing evasive action or uprooting stumps. Unfortunately, Ntini has a great achilles heel - his home bias. On his familiar South African pitches he averages a majestic 22.53, putting him up there with the greats, but take him away from home and the average plummetts to 38.08. For this reason, very good bowler that he is, Ntini cannot be considered great.

If his body was able to bear the strain of Test matches, Shane Bond might have achieved greatness. He has all the attributes and has used them in the 16 Tests he has played to claim 74 wickets @ 22.10. But such a short career (in terms of matches) does not yield enough evidence to know how good he really is.

Another injury plagued bowler is Shoaib Akhtar, though he has managed to take the field for Pakistan in 43 Tests. In this time he has amassed 169 victims, but has rarely been consistent through a series, let alone a season. When he is on form he can be devastating, but against the two best batting line-ups of his era, Australia and India, he has rarely found his best.

Brett Lee, who came to Test cricket in a blaze of glory, fell away badly and was dropped for over a year and a half. Since his return he has shown some good form, though mainly against the West Indies, who must now be considered one of the weaker Test nations. Despite his improvement, Lee still averages 31.60 and has a poor economy rate. He has also struggled against the old enemy, England, as well as Pakistan.

With 83 wickets to his name @ 30.73 Lasith Malinga is emerging as a quick bowler with real talent. His unusual, slinging action was used to much effect in the recent ODI World Cup. Yet he has not shown this devastating form consistently in Tests. There is surely much more to come from the young Sri Lankan, but he is still very much a work in progress.

The England duo Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff often bowl in the early nineties, but usually average in the late eighties. They fall somewhere between the genuinely quick bowlers mentioned above and the numerous fast medium and medium fast bowlers that ply their trade in Test cricket. Both hit the pitch hard and can extract lethal bounce, yet neither can be considered more than very good, occasionally brilliant. Harmison is too inconsistent and his average is creeping up, whereas Flintoff is wonderfully consistent, but rarely rips through a side.

The rest

There are a number of good swing bowlers in Test cricket, though most rely on conditions to help them and some can be cannon fodder when the ball fails to swing. Amongst the best is the veteran Sri Lankan, Chaminda Vaas. So often underrated this hard working left armer is always ready to give his captain another over. Vaas usually bowls with miserly accuracy, achieving the astonishing economy rate of 2.66, despite playing so many of his matches in unhelpful conditions. The only things mitigating against him are his average, just 29.21 and his relatively poor record against India, Pakistan and South Africa.

England's Matthew Hoggard is the form swing bowler in Tests. He has consistently broken opening partnerships and is particularly unforgiving against left handers. His dogged attitude and ability to bowl well even when there is little swing around has made him England's best pace bowler in recent series. But for an injury this summer he would surely have added to his tally against the West Indies and India. Only his average of 30.03 and his poor form against Australia and Pakistan can be held against him.

A couple of high class newcomers, Mohammad Asif and Stuart Clark, have the potential to stake their claim to be regarded amongst the best. Both have excellent records in the short time they have been playing Test cricket, but will need to test themselves against all opponents in all conditions before a verdict can be reached.

Of the remaining Test bowlers currently playing there are plenty of other newcomers, as well as some more seasoned campaigners, but none with track records that suggest they will be great or are more than fleetingly brilliant. When you consider how many of the best pace bowlers of all-time were playing in the 70s, 80s, and 90s it is hard to see how we have reached such a famine in the 2000s. Pitches can be blamed for some of it, but I remember those greats often taking wickets on flat surfaces. Whatever the reasons for it the sad truth is that there are few quick bowlers currently playing Test cricket who can strike fear into opposing batsmen and the game is all the poorer for it.

Team of The World Cup

Matthew Hayden (AUS)
- Top run scorer, in domineering form, what more can you say?! Haydos is back and with some bang! He plundered three hundreds and one fifty, with 659 runs, at an average of 73.22, including the fastest ever World Cup Hundred off just 66 balls.

Adam Gilchrist (wk) (AUS)
- Sealed his place with his innings of 149 in the Final, which was the fastest and highest ever scored in a Final. His best knock came at the most vital of times and it won his team the game. Tidy behind the stumps as ever with 12 Catches and 5 Stumpings.

Ricky Ponting (c) (AUS)
- Captained the winning team to victory. Captaincy was easier for Ponting than for others, however he did what was required and played some sumptuous innings. Clever user of the powerplays and particularly Shaun Tait.

Mahela Jayawardene (vc) (SRL)
- Played one of the innings of the tournament in the Semi-Final, showing a lot of players, notably England’s, how to construct a one day innings. Commands the respect of his troops and the world.

Scott Styris (NZL)
- Surprise package at the World Cup. Had been out of form after injury, but came back to deliver on his talent on the biggest of stages. Handy with the ball as well, he was the lynchpin around which the Kiwi’s batted.

Kevin Pietersen (ENG)
- The only player who did not make it into the Semi-Finals. Two hundreds and one of them in a victory, a first for KP. He showed why he is number one in the world and looks set to up his game to a new level, having displayed higher levels of maturity and shot selection as the tournament progressed.

Michael Clarke (AUS)
- Down as the finisher, as that is what he ended up doing for Australia from number four! Four not outs, during which he guided Australia home, he took over from Mike Hussey and is really turning into one of Australia’s most dependable performers. Class fielder too.

Shane Bond (NZL)
- Did not deliver in the Semi-Final, but up to that point he was sublime and extremely economical. If he can stay fit he can achieve a lot more and maintain that ridiculously low strike rate in the teens.

Lasith Malinga (SRL)
- Star of the tournament with the ball, despite being sidelined by injury half way through. With four wickets in four balls for the first time in international cricket against South Africa, he is going to be a star for years to come. Best bowler for Sri Lanka in the Final too.

Muttiah Muralitharan (SRL)
- They still can’t stop him and he did it all with a smile. Surely now the World’s best and most enthusiastic! He may now retire from One Day Internationals, but Shane Warne’s Test Wickets Record is under serious threat.

Glenn McGrath (AUS)
- Pigeon signed off in style as the leading World Cup 2007 wicket taker, with 26 and he is now comfortably the World Cup's highest ever wicket taker. Sides tried to get after him, but he usually got his own way in the end, as ever! Can walk off in to retirement a proud man indeed.

12th Man: Brad Hogg (AUS) / Jaques Kallis (SAF)
- The mysterious googly of Brad Hogg proved to be many a batsman’s undoing and in need of an extra spinner he is surely the man to fit the bill. He now has his eyes on Stuart MacGill’s assumed Test place. Meanwhile, Jaques Kallis gets a mention as South Africa’s best player, just ahead of his captain, Graeme Smith, but ultimately he was a letdown in the big games, uncharacteristically giving his wicket away on too many occasions, having been criticised for scoring too slowly against Australia earlier on.

Semi-Final Preview: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

This is likely to be the closer of the two matches, with two very evenly matched sides looking to make it into the final. New Zealand have not made the final from this stage in five attempts, whilst of course Sri Lanka won the competition back in 1996. The recent ODI series and Test series in New Zealand were both drawn 2-2 and 1-1 and having finished second (SRL) and third (NZL) in the Super Eights, these teams are also ranked third (NZL) and fourth (SRL) in the world.

The pitch at Sabina Park in Jamaica is likely to favour the seamers, hence Ireland's success. Therefore you would imagine that the Kiwis have a natural advantage. However, in Chaminda Vaas and the returning Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankans can more than match what New Zealand have to offer in Shane Bond and James Franklin. The spin department sees Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori go to head to head, whilst there may also be roles to play for Sanath Jayasuriya and Tilakaratne Dilshan. New Zealand will have to decide on whether to stick with the impressive young Jeetan Patel, or include the extra seamer, though both Mark Gillespie and Michael Mason were given serious hammer by the Australians. The presence of Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Craig McMillan, may just tempt Fleming to include Patel, whilst Sri Lanka have a difficult choice to make between Dilharo Fernando, who has been impressive at the death and Farheez Maharoof, who impressed against Ireland and can add a lower order batting threat.

The head to head batting makes for interesting reading for Stephen Fleming. Chaminda Vaas has dismissed him the most in ODI's and has had him for a duck on the last four occassions that the two have met. Kumar Sangakkara meanwhile loves batting against New Zealand, having made 69*, 79, 15, 89 and 36 in his last five ODI innings against the Kiwis. Meanwhile, in the recent Test series he made 4, 100*, 156* and 8. If New Zealand don't get him early they will be in trouble. Two other key players are likely to be the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya, so key to Sri Lanka setting a large asking rate and Scott Styris, who has been in blistering form so far. Shane Bond knows the importance of getting Jayasuriya before he unleashes his destructive potential and you feel that if he is out for a low score then New Zealand can keep Sri Lanka within reach. Scott Styris meanwhile will be stressing to his team mates the importance of playing Murali with the same poise and composure with which he did in the last meeting between these two, which of course Sri Lanka won.

Prediction: It's going to be close. Win the toss and win I say.

Key Players: Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Scott Styris and Shane Bond.

Preview: Australia vs New Zealand

This should be a cracking game of cricket, but the absence of Jacob Oram will likely hit the Kiwis' hard and Hamish Marshall is no like for like replacement. This would seem to be the second choice final, but you can count on the Kiwis to not rest their best. Shane Bond will be in action with the new ball and he has proven to be an Aussie nemesis in the past. Facing him will be leading run scorer Matty Hayden. Haydos has been in sublime form early on and has really found his way back to his best form since late 2005. He and Gilchrist are still the most feared opening partnership in World Cricket.

New Zealand of course have Scott Styris, another superb performer so far. They will be looking for another big innings from him, the young Ross Taylor and as ever, Stephen Fleming, with late cameos from the likes of Brendon McCullum. In Jeetan Patel and Daniel Vettori they have a wonderful spin attack to complement their quicks and medium pacers, though they may still miss the bounce of Oram. Oram's absence may also mean that New Zealand feel uncomfortable in not playing the extra quick in place of Patel though. Australia's bowling is not quite at the same level, but with the volume of runs that they often score, their bowlers are under less pressure and nobody seems to have read Brad Hogg's googly yet.

Prediction: Australia to narrowly avenge the Chappell-Hadlee Series whitewash.

Players to watch: Matthew Hayden and Shane Bond.

Preview: New Zealand vs Ireland

Two hard working teams come face to face today in what should be another fairly one sided encounter. Unlike Bangladesh, Ireland are still a long way from the big eight and upsets for Ireland are certainly proving to be the exception rather than the norm.

Ireland have been dealt a big blow by the news that a hamstring injury has ruled out Andre Botha, whose bowling especially has been miserly to date. Meanwhile, Kevin O'Brien is certain to return after missing the last match. New Zealand have their own injury concerns with Ross Taylor and Michael Mason ruled out. However, Mark Gillespie is back to fitness and will likely get a start to see if he comprises a part of the best Kiwi bowling attack.

Prediction: New Zealand to show their dearth in class.

Players to watch: Shane Bond is the major difference between the sides, Ireland will need the so far impressive Boyd Rankin.

Preview: New Zealand vs Bangladesh

With the form that the Kiwis are currently in it is hard to see them stumbling in this encounter. Lightning doesn't tend to strike twice and having lost to Bangladesh in the warm-up games, New Zealand will not be taking them lightly. Bangladesh are of course punching above their weight to even be here and they will be aiming to win the odd game to prove to people that they are developing into a viable threat to the top eight.

As long as New Zealand play their best bowlers they should not face any trouble. Though the top order batting looks slightly weak, the rest of the team looks exceptionally strong, with Scott Styris the stand out player so far. Most importantly, the Kiwis look focused and Stephen Fleming will not allow them to take their eye off of the prize. There might be an upset, but the Kiwis are too professional a side I feel.

Prediction: New Zealand, but Bangladesh will not be embarassed.

Players to watch: Shane Bond and Mashrafe Mortaza.

Preview: West Indies vs New Zealand

It's all happening with regards to this fixture. West Indies play for the third consecutive day, following the requirement of their reserve day against Australia and New Zealand are realing after an injury crisis. Brian Lara has played down the significance of playing over three days and he is right to. They have still played the same amount of cricket, it has just been less concentrated. The defeat against Australia will have been rather demoralising though and this game could decide the West Indies' future in this tournament. Should they lose, they may be leaving themselves with too much to do against sides like Sri Lanka and South Africa. They must improve their bowling performance and they do miss a top class front line spinner.

New Zealand meanwhile are going into the match with a much changed batting line-up. Peter Fulton has been promoted to opener following star fielder Lou Vincent's injury and Hamish Marshall is likely to come into the side at three for the recovering Ross Taylor. The bowling is uneffected, with Shane Bond, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and possibly Jeetan Patel, the main candidates. A lot will likely depend on the start for New Zealand. Fulton and Stephen Fleming are not known for their blistering strike rates and with Marshall not having played much cricket of late, a slow start could lead to mistakes and an increasing reliance on the middle order. This match should be keenly contested. A lot is riding on it, especially for the home side.

Prediction: Hard to call, New Zealand's injuries have opened the door for the Windies and they need the win more at this stage. Therefore, I'm going for the West Indies, by a narrow margin.

Players to watch: Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jacob Oram.

Shane Bond

As the World Cup approaches, Third Umpire will be selecting a ODI World 11, with one player featuring every day. We continue with our number ten, New Zealand's Shane Bond.

Like all the best fast bowlers in cricket's rich history, Shane Bond possesses the deadly combination of terrifying pace and great control. His inswinging yorker is one of the best deliveries in the game, asking serious questions of even the most technically gifted batsmen currently playing.

His average in ODIs is an astonishing 19.66, coupled with an alarming strike rate of just 27.03 - a wicket every five and a half overs. For a strike bowler, whose main purpose is to take wickets, he also has a fine economy rate of 4.36. In other words, Bond is the ultimate attacking fast bowler, a potential match-winner on any surface.

His only achilles heel is injury, to which he succumbs all too often. It is sad to note that in a career spanning over five years he has only played 59 ODIs. If he manages to keep fit for the whole of the forthcoming World Cup he could be one of the major stars and be a key factor in New Zealand progressing further than they ever have before.

World Cup 2007 – Who are the main Contenders?

Those of you who have followed my series of articles on the teams in the tournament (five days and counting!) will not be surprised with who I think the main three contenders are. In this run through I will exclusively reveal who the winners of the competition will be (thus allowing the other teams to have the six weeks off!)

New Zealand
With wonderful comic timing, just as I reveal the Kiwis to be one of the main contenders for the title, they go and lose to Bangladesh in a warm up match. However, that result could be of greater worry to India, who have to get past Bangladesh in their group. New Zealand will take much more comfort out of their recent series of matches with Australia, in which no total was too big to chase down.

They are a team without stars. Stephen Fleming vies with Michael Vaughan for the title of most astute captain in world cricket, but has the crucial advantage over his rival of being fit and in some sort of form. Despite the loss of Nathan Astle, players like Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor are capable of scoring quickly and setting up a platform for Jacob Oram or Scott Styris to reap havoc in the last few overs.

Their pace attack is all the better for the return to fitness of Shane Bond, who’s average of under 20 per wicket with an economy rate of less than 4.5 must make him the leading pace bowler in One Day cricket. With Oram, Styris and the controlling Daniel Vettori also in the squad, new Zealand’s is almost a team without weakness.

Perennial semi-finalists, their consistency should allow them reach that stage again. However, without the star player to take them one stage further, that may again be the end of the road.

South Africa
Similar to New Zealand in that they are another team without stars but also without major weaknesses. Over the past few years they have been the only team to really challenge the Australians at the top of the world rankings and come to the World Cup as the number 1 ranked team, following a comprehensive series win over Pakistan and Australia’s spectacular collapse.

In Graeme Smith, they have a fast scoring opener and fast improving captain. The rest of the batting line up combines the solidity of Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince with the free-scoring of Herschelle Gibbs and the explosive Justin Kemp, who will enjoy the short boundaries in the Caribbean. The only concern may be who opens with Smith. In the frame are the fast scoring Loots Bosman or the rather more solid AB deVilliers, who will be one of the best fielders on show in the tournament if he gets the nod.

The South Africans are also long on all-rounders, with Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Andrew hall forming a formidable lower order. Boucher is also probably the best wicket-keeping wicket-keeper on show, not that most teams seem to be bothered about that any more.

Their pace attack is solid, if a little one-dimensional. However, in Pollock and Makhaya Ntini they have two of the top 3 ranked bowlers in One Day cricket, and in Andrew Hall and Andre Nel, two very useful death bowlers. The fifth bowler may be a problem though, and Kallis and Smith may end up bowling a number of overs.

Like New Zealand, they consistent enough to reach the semi-finals and they do have the quality to go all the way. Also , following their strange exits from the last two tournaments (Allan Donald forgetting to run on the last ball of the semi-final in 1999 and the Duckworth-Lewis mix up last time round), they may feel that they are due this time round. I, however, think they will come up just short, behind…..

Sri Lanka
Almost the antithesis of New Zealand and South Africa, Sri Lanka is a team made up of huge stars and bit players. A top four which only Australia could reasonably match and two of the all time great bowlers are then added to by a players who, while capable of having their day in the sun, would struggle to get into most other teams.

Captained by Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka are led from the front by Sanath Jayasuriya, who has scored his 11500 runs at an incredible strike rate of over 90 per 100 balls. Sri Lanka have found a useful foil in Upal Tharanga, who came of age in England last year and then scored heavily in the Champions Trophy. These are then followed to the crease by Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkarra. Although Aravinda de Silva sees the Sri Lankan middle order as being a problem, numerous teams have seen over the past few months that the middle order don’t get much of a look in.

The bowling takes a similar vein, with Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan being able to bring 20 overs of tight bowling. However, unlike the batting, there is a need for 30 overs from elsewhere and with the bizarre action of Lasith Malinga continuing to pick up wickets and the off-spin of Jayasuriya also likely to be very effective, a lot will depend on the 5th or 6th bowlers in the team, likely to be Dilhara Fernando or Farveez Maharoof.

Sri Lanka have too much individual talent not to make the semi-finals, and too many match winners for any of the teams that they will meet in the knock-out stages. They are therefore my choice for the overall winners of the tournament.

Premium Bond

Nothing in sport is more tantalising than brilliant performers perennially unable to leave their mark on the biggest stage. If Shane Bond is to avoid his fate, it will largely be due to his exploits at the upcoming World Cup.

Bond is 31. For a fast bowler, this is normally the time for adaptation - pace is declining and real nous is needed to halt the inevitable decline. Yet Bond, since returning from his latest stress fracture, has consistently managed to record speeds in excess of 90mph.

Bond is one of very few fast bowlers in the modern game who can threaten the world’s best batsmen on benign surfaces; he is a tearaway also adroit at the subtler art of reverse swing.

His records – averaging 22 in Tests and just 19 in ODIs – are extraordinary. But the possessor of one of the world's finest yorkers has been in action far too rarely. In the six years since his debut, he has appeared in just 16 out of a possible 40 Tests, and only 59 ODIs – barely half the games New Zealand have played.

In his spasmodic international career, Bond has already produced numerous moments of genuine brilliance. His consecutive five-wicket hauls in the Caribbean, which secured New Zealand’s first ever Test series victory there, was testament to his quality: how often has a Kiwi been the outstanding fast man in the West Indies? In March 2006, Bond delivered another phenomenal spell against the same side, taking five wickets as New Zealand edged home by 27 runs. That included Brian Lara: Bond’s hostility and unremitting accuracy accounted for the record Test run-scorer first ball.

A charge frequently levelled against performers whose success is only fleeting is that they never proved themselves against the best. With Shane Bond, such an accusation cannot hold. In 11 ODIs against Australia, he has a stunning record: 34 wickets at 13. His havoc-wreaking spells of 5-25 and 4-38 during the 2002 VB series helped to ensure the competition was not lost amidst the sea of one-dayers. But his sensational spell in the 2003 World Cup cemented his reputation, regardless of whether he ever comes near repeating the feat again.

It was in this Super Six game that Bond proved on the world stage that, when fit, he is the consummate fast bowler. He had the height to trouble the world’s best with the bounce he generated. But it was his sheer pace and accuracy in pitching the ball up (he resisted the fast bowler’s temptation to bowl too short) that threw the tournament winners into disarray. Bond’s incredible spell reduced Australia to 84-7, before the double act of Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel again bailed them out. Yet in the months that followed, when Bond should have been confirming his status as one of very few genuinely hostile bowlers in World cricket, he endured a relentless series of injuries that kept him out of international cricket for more than two years.

But Bond is mentally very strong and was not deterred when, almost inevitably, he was soon injured again following a low-key comeback in Zimbabwe in August 2005. In recent one-dayers, he has been back to his devastating best, taking a hat-trick against Australia in the CB Series, then scything through their top-order in taking 5-23 at the start of the black caps’ memorable Chapell-Hadlee Trophy whitewash. A quite remarkable caught-and-bowled off Cameron White illustrated Bond’s extraordinary athleticism.

Knowing another major injury could terminate his career completely, Bond will be eyeing up the forthcoming World Cup as his defining moment: if his blend of express pace and guile can inspire memorable progress, Kiwis will remember him more in gratitude than frustration. His hostility visibly lifts New Zealand; they become a far more threatening side with an alternative to military medium. Sagacious skipper Stephen Fleming, however, will continually face a dilemma when utilising Bond. His preference seems to be to use him for five overs at the start, three in the middle of the innings and two at the death, though he will have to think on his feet.

The current international band of pacemen is the worst in memory – with Brett Lee injured and Shoaib Akhtar highly doubtful, who is there but Bond to fly the flag of old-fashioned fast bowling in the Caribbean? With pace-bowling standards universally so poor, outstanding batsmen such as Ricky Ponting are seldom truly tested. New Zealand and neutral fans alike need Shane Bond back and firing to help restore the balance between bat and ball. Conversely, Ponting, who, remarkably, averages just 17 facing Bond in ODIs, may be harbouring secret hopes that the fast bowler's comeback is short-lived.

'Freak' or Unique?

An old favourite answers the call at Gloucestershire CCC, reports Colin Crew

For a county which has fielded such world-class stars as Mike Procter and Courtney Walsh, the impact made by overseas signings at Gloucestershire in more recent years has been disappointing to say the least. The likes of Shabbir Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Upul Chandana have failed to live up to billing and the appearances of Nathan Bracken, James Franklin and Ramnaresh Sarwan have been so brief as to barely warrant mention. Even the rampaging Mike Hussey failed to reproduce his Northants form during his brief stint and the one notable exception, Jonty Rhodes, could not be persuaded to stay on and add to the five tons and 1,293 runs he collected during 2003.

But for five years spanning the turn of the century, Gloucestershire benefited enormously from the street smart cricket of Australian Ian Harvey and now, admittedly through accident rather than intention, they seem set to do so again during the whole of the 2006 season. Affectionately dubbed ‘The Freak’, few players without Test Match experience can ever have had such a galvanising effect on a county side, with ‘Harv’ arguably proving the most vital cog in a well-oiled one day cricketing machine which claimed no less than seven trophies in five years, ending a twenty two year wait for silverware in dramatic style.

The dual signing of Kiwi pair Hamish Marshall and Shane Bond, both available for the majority of the 2006 English domestic season, looked good enough on paper. But even the least cynical of the Nevil Road faithful would not have been rushing to the bookies to put their money on Bond being the County’s top wicket taker come September and sure enough, yet another injury prevented the New Zealand quickie taking up his post in May.

The smarter signing from the start might well have been the ever improving and previously employed Franklin, an opening bowler now boasting both a Test century and a first class double ton. But with the left armer Glamorgan-bound, into the breach has stepped the flamboyant Harvey. Originally intended to be a short term signing until the arrival of the two ‘Black Caps’, 350 runs, two hundreds and 12 cheap wickets in five games suggests that even at 34, the Victorian all-rounder should be a more than adequate replacement.

To describe Harvey as unconventional would probably not do justice to either the man or the adjective. A formidable force with both bat and ball in all forms of the game, he has also elevated the one day game into almost a science. If the occasion dictates, Harvey, the only man so far to make three hundreds in Twenty20 cricket in England, strikes the ball as cleanly and as far as almost anyone. But he also abhors the ‘dot ball’ and employing well timed sweeps and lofted drives, he manufactures at least one run off almost every delivery he faces.

The modern style of attacking one day cricket practically dictates that successful seam bowlers must be able to produce a well disguised slower ball, but Harvey has a veritable collection; off breaks, yorkers and even ‘back of the hand’ stuff. There have been few better bowlers in the ‘death’ overs in recent times, with Harvey consistently managing both wickets and economy on the biggest of stages.

Harvey’s perceived ‘defection’ to Yorkshire prior to the 2004 season was surely felt more keenly at Gloucestershire than any departure since the languid Jamaican Courtney Walsh boarded a plane to Kingston for the final time in 1998. But a few more swashbuckling centuries and productive first change spells will no doubt bring about forgiveness and as ‘Hurricane Harvey’ careered towards yet another one day century against Surrey on Sunday off just 80 deliveries, doubtless the watching Gloucestershire fans were left wishing he had never been away.

It is hard to imagine that a side containing Harvey would have surrendered its First Division status in both competitions so meekly as Gloucestershire did in 2005 and although it would be a great deal to expect for him to inspire the Glosters to such heights as they achieved during his first stay, Ian Harvey’s place in West Country cricketing folklore is already assured. Freakish only in that such all round talents belong to one man, a match winner with both bat and ball such as Harvey will be tough to replace.