India in South Africa

The Indian cricket team who has begun practicing in all earnest at the Wanderers, Johannesburg had a minor scare when their wicket keeper Deep Dasgupta was forced to get off the field for treatment to his right knee.
The team physio Andrew Leipus quickly put on an ice pack over the injured area and advised rest for a while. The team has included only one wicket keeper for the 66-day long tour. Javagal Srinath too sat out of today's practice session as he is suffering from a mild cold. The Indians had nets under the blazing sun and are slowly but surely getting into the groove.
The manager of the team Dr MK Bhargawa has denied media access to the players for a while till they settle in and has in no uncertain terms prohibited them from making comments on the political situation facing the world following the attacks on the United States.

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The Indian coach John Wright said he is confident that India will play well this time on South Africa's fast wickets. He said he was looking to change the mindset of the players on playing in South Africa.
He said India is a good team to watch and added that there was never a dull moment when India were involved. The other major players Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble both coming out of injury were doing well he said.

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Harbhajan Singh's reputation of being the "turbonator" has caught up with the South Africa media. After watching his exploits against Australia at home, journalists admitted that he is one of the most feared man in the Indian team.

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The last minute replacement for Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar has finally left for South Africa yesterday. Agarkar who was summoned from Nairobi where he was playing in a triangular series match for Mumbai could not leave with the team on September 24 as his visa papers could not be processed in time.

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Thirty four year old Sandeep Kumar Gupta has been pulled out of semi-retirement to be included in the Kenyan team for the triangular one-day series in South Africa, also featuring India.
Gupta last played in the 1999 World Cup in England and has spent the last two years in the wilderness following a spate of injuries.
He had to be operated upon to remove a blood clot in his brain after he was struck on the head while playing for his club in Nairobi.
Interestingly although at one time he was regarded as his country's best fast bowler, he is yet to have a bowl in the nine ODI matches he has played so far from September 1996.
He has been playing for Kenya purely as a batsman. However it was felt by the selectors that the pitches in South Africa may be conducive to his type of bowling.

England in Zimbabwe

England cricket captain Nasser Hussain stressed that the team's tour of Zimbabwe was a chance to build for the 2003 World Cup.
He added that the five-game series is an opportunity for young players to blossom in the international arena.
Commenting on the political situation in Zimbabwe he said he has never been involved in politics and it is up to the politicians to sort out the problems.
The team left for Zimbabwe on Wednesday. Meanwhile the British High Commission in Harare will be briefing the England team about the safety. The team has been advised to refrain from venturing too far from their hotels.
The tour
1 October v Zimbabwe A, Harare
3 October 1st ODI, Harare
6 October 2nd ODI, Harare
7 October 3rd ODI, Harare
10 October 4th ODI, Bulawayo
13 October 5th ODI, Bulawayo

Miscellaneous

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed former England batsman and later a successful coach of the South African cricket team, Bob Woolmer as their High Performance Manager.
The ICC has entrusted him with helping Canada, the Netherlands, Kenya and Namibia prepare for the 2003 World Cup, which takes place in South Africa. The former South African coach is regarded as one of the best.
His new role will run from October until the competition begins, in February 2003. An ICC statement said: "In his new role Woolmer will work closely with countries with different levels of exposure to one-day cricket."

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England batsman Michael Vaughan has ruled himself out of succeeding David Byas as captain of Yorkshire due to his forthcoming commitments to the England cricket team.
He was considered as a favourite, along with Australian left-hander Darren Lehmann, to take over the captaincy, following Byas' decision to retire.
Vaughan who is a former England under-19 captain, has also led the England A tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1998-99.

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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has turned down an invitation to act as cricket ambassador in the 2003 World Cup being staged in South Africa, although he has not given any reasons for doing so.
The World Cup 2003 organising chief Dr Ali Bacher has also invited Sunil Gavaskar, Vivian Richards, Barry Richards, Sir Richard Hadlee and Mark Taylor to act as cricket ambassadors in the tournament.
Their jobs would be to primarily visit the township areas and hold coaching clinics for youngsters there during the tournament. They will also have to take part in promotional and endorsement programmes and work as experts on the tournament.
However Miandad has been told by Dr Bacher that the organising committee would wait until end of the year to get a final answer from him.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it had not heard anything from Sri Lanka Cricket Board regarding the proposal to have a series of three One-day Internationals in October in Pakistan. Pakistan had earlier requested for a series of three one-dayers to be played to make up for the financial losses suffered due to the cancellation of the New Zealand tour. Meanwhile according to some sources, the Sri Lankan Board may not consider the tour as it is preparing to host the West Indies and Zimbabwe in November-December. This would mean that Pakistan has been left without any international commitments until late October.

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The tri-nation tournament featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Sharjah in October-November may be postponed owing to the growing tension in the region. The Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) may also be forced to postpone their tournament or review the dates as there is a strong possibility Zimbabwe may refuse to play at Sharjah citing security reasons.

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