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September 25, 2002
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News Roll
  ICC Champions Trophy
Containing India's brilliant batting line-up is the key to success for South Africa in the first semi-final at the Premadasa Stadium.

Sourav Ganguly's side emerged confidently from the hardest group against England and Zimbabwe.

And they are keen to match their performance at the 2000 ICC Knockout in Kenya, where they reached the final.

South African captain Shaun Pollock will spearhead their attack and has reminded his fellow bowlers that there will be no margin for error.

"We're confident, but the Indian batsmen can be quite devastating," he admitted.

"The bowlers know this isn't going to be a walk in the park. The Indian batsmen have shown the damage that can be caused if they're allowed to take charge."

Veteran paceman Allan Donald will return to the side, but Nicky Boje and Allan Dawson are rated only 50-50 because of injuries.

So concerned are South Africa about the pair that Steve Elworthy and Robin Peterson were summoned from home to provide cover.


The Champions Trophy semi-final against South Africa on Wednesday will be the 20th one-day international for Delhi's left-arm seam bowler Ashish Nehra.

The lanky youngster says he is still very much in the learning process and hopes to bowl a similar opening spell on Wednesday to the one he bowled against England where he picked up the crucial wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain in his first four overs.

"Both me and Zaheer Khan bowled a very tight opening spell in the match against England.

Trescothick was a very important wicket for us and I was very thrilled to get that one early for the team. I just plan to bowl like that tomorrow. Just keeping a tight line and not trying too many things," said Nehra before the crucial match against South Africa.

"The conditions here are very humid and one has to be very fit to deliver the goods. But I have really worked hard on my fitness. Trainer Adrian le Roux has really helped a lot.

Now I do not pick up injuries like I used to. Probably that was just bad luck I really do not know. But I also feel a lot fitter now than may be six months earlier," said Nehra.


Shaun Pollock, though not taken aback, was greeted by a pitch that would suit the Indian spinners as South Africa prepared for their ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against Sourav Ganguly's team at the Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday.

The match, which has created so much hype after India's stunning eight wicket win over England on Sunday, will be played on the same pitch on which Ganguly and Virender Sehwag slaughtered the English bowlers.

There's a tinge of grass but Nanda Ranasinghe, the chief curator of the Premadasa Stadium, said the pitch was ready to be handed over to the officials.

"I don't think we will shave off any more grass. It has a bit of everything for the players of both teams - there will be a bit of bounce, like you saw in the India-England match and it will also help the spinners. It will be a case of the team making the most out of it and being rewarded in the end," he said.


South African fast bowler Allan Donald feels he has the key to unravel India's strong batting line-up when the two sides clash in the first Champions Trophy semifinal on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old will reach 150 one-day internationals in Colombo if the 1998 champions reach the final, but that will happen only if their fast bowlers stop the Indian batsmen on a slow Premadasa stadium pitch.

"They are a very good batting line-up, especially in Sri Lanka," Donald said.

"In any place, even in India or Pakistan, they are going to be quite devastating."

Donald, who has taken 250 one-day wickets at 21.32 apiece, felt pace alone might not do the trick.

"As a bowler, you've got to mix it up with pace. It is going to take a huge effort, a skilful effort, for us to pull it off."


Damien Martyn has recovered from a hip injury which kept him out of the Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh and will be fit for Friday's semi-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said Martyn is back to full fitness after resting up during the team's sojourn in the Maldives.

The Aussies had a searching training session in the Colombo heat as they counted down to the Sri Lanka showdown.

"It was a very tough session and not necessarily enforced by the coach or the support staff, I think it's come from within the team," Gilchrist said.

  Australia-Pakistan Test series
Pakistan have sacked team manager Yawar Saeed ahead of next month's Test series against Australia.

The 72-year-old is the second casualty following a recent run of poor results, with coach Mudassar Nazar losing his job earlier this month.

It is expected that former manager Brigadier Khawaja Muhammad Nasir will replace Saeed, who was first appointed in 1984 and has filled the post on a number of occasions since then.

  Ashes series
England wicket-keeper Alec Stewart has praised Graham Thorpe's decision to pull out of the Ashes before the tour began, rather than creating chaos later.

England's selectors will name a replacement for Thorpe by Monday after the left-hander reversed his decision to tour on personal grounds.

Thorpe was picked for the tour earlier this month after convincing the selectors he was in the right frame of mind to play despite having taken a break from the game.

But the Surrey star re-contacted the England management on Monday to say he would not be available after all.

"He's been very honest so credit to him for admitting it now rather than getting out there and maybe doing it on the day before the first Test," said Stewart.


Mark Ramprakash is ready to answer the call of the England selectors if they choose him to replace Surrey teammate Graham Thorpe in the Ashes tour party.

Ramprakash has not played Test cricket since last winter's tour to New Zealand but is eager to resume his international career.

He is seen by many as the favourite to fill the vacancy, primarily because of his excellent record against Australia.

The 33-year-old topped England's Test averages on the 1998-99 tour, scoring 379 runs at 47.37, and also made 133 against Steve Waugh's side in last summer's match at The Oval.

"If you're a professional cricketer, you know the challenges that an Australian tour brings and I think any cricketer would welcome the chance to go and play there.

"It's a very exciting place to play cricket, good facilities, and obviously you're playing against the best team, probably, in the world," said Ramprakash.

  Bangladesh tour of South Africa
The Bangladesh cricket squad, fresh from a disastrous trip to the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, left on Tuesday for their tour of South Africa where they will play two Tests and three limited-over matches.

Four newly included players - batsmen Sanwar Hossain, Hannan Sarkar, Rafiqul Islam and bowler Anwar Hossain - will join the rest of the team in Dubai.

In their last encounter in Colombo on Monday, New Zealand dismissed Bangladesh for their second-lowest total of 77 to post a 167-run win.

The three dropped from the Champions Trophy squad are Mohammad Ashraful, off-spinner Fahim Muntasir and middle-order batsman Mazharul Haque.

Since gaining Test status in June 2000, Bangladesh have lost 12 of the 13 Tests they played.

Squad:
Khaled Mashud (captain), Habibul Bashar, Al-Shahriar, Tushar Imran, Khaled Mahmud, Manjurul Islam, Talha Jubair, Mohammad Rafique, Tapas Baishya, Alok Kapali, Javed Omar, Hannan Sarkar, Sanwar Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, Anwar Hossain

  Miscellaneous
England batsman Michael Vaughan has been named Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year after his golden international summer.

The Yorkshire opener was awarded the prize at this year's ceremony at the Grosvenor Park Hotel in London.

Vaughan scored 900 runs in Tests against Sri Lanka and India this summer, including four centuries.

He twice narrowly missed out on reaching a maiden double-century as he and Indian batsman Rahul Dravid fought to be the top run scorer in the four match series.


Craig White is to play club cricket in Australia this winter in the hope of regaining his place in the England side.

If his form in Adelaide is good enough, the 32-year-old all-rounder could even play first-class cricket for the state side, South Australia.

White has been told that he has to prove his fitness before being considered for a call-up after he suffered a side strain during the second Test against India in August.

"This is my best way of getting back," he said.

"The details aren't quite finalised but the plan is for me to go to Australia in early October, prove my fitness and hopefully win a place in the one-day side again.

"And if someone gets injured during the Test series I could also step in there."

White returned to action towards the end of the county season playing as a specialist batsman.

But he was not fit enough to take his place in England's ICC Champions Trophy squad.

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