In a bid to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the cricket World Cup, starting in South Africa next week, top order Indian batsmen including captain Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar held an intense batting practice session at the Kingsmead cricket ground on Saturday.

Public relations officer for the team, Amrit Mathur said "Tendulkar and the rest of the boys are making good use of their early arrival" in South Africa.

"The players practised once again today and they are becoming used to the conditions. When we play our first warm-up match on Tuesday they will be in top condition," he said.

He said all the players are in a positive frame of mind and very happy with the facilities in Durban.

"Coach John Wright is making sure that all the players will be in top condition when the tournament starts," Mathur added.

The players will have another round of practice and physical training sessions on Sunday. The Indians will play another warm-up match on Thursday.

South African veteran Gary Kirsten admitted he would refuse to play in Zimbabwe if his side was due to visit the strife-torn nation during the World Cup.

Kirsten's revelation comes on the back of reports of an Al-Qaeda cell planning to attack Westerners in Zimbabwe -- and South Africa -- if the US goes to war with Iraq.

Kirsten, whose side is not drawn to play any matches in either Zimbabwe or another trouble spot, Kenya, told a charity function he believes there is a "security issue" around matches in Zimbabawe.

The Australian Cricket Board and ICC want Australia's match on February 24 to go ahead at Bulawayo but they are constantly monitoring a potentially volatile situation.

If players are thought to be at risk, Australia will withdraw.

New Zealand are confident their controversial World Cup match against Kenya can be rescheduled.

The Black Caps are due to face Kenya in Nairobi on 21 February, but this week refused to play the game there, citing safety fears.

Tournament director Ali Bacher had told New Zealand they would forfeit the match if they refused to face the Kenyans.

But, following negotiations with the International Cricket Council, Martin Snedden, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), was optimistic a resolution could be met.

Snedden said: "Our task is to try to persuade them to reschedule and secondly to at least show them our position is reasonable. I have confidence that can be achieved.

Sri Lanka will honour their World Cup fixture in Kenya despite security concerns from rivals New Zealand, captain Sanath Jayasuriya said on Saturday.

New Zealand on Friday refused to play their match against Kenya in Nairobi because of fears over their players' safety.

"We have no problem, we're going to play there," Jayasuriya told reporters shortly after the Sri Lankan squad arrived in South Africa for the World Cup which begins on February 9.

Kenya host Sri Lanka on February 24, while New Zealand are due to play there three days earlier.

English cricket's leading players' union claims it is being denied access to a specially-commissioned security report on Zimbabwe.

The ICC ordered the American firm Kroll to conduct a survey of the southern African nation ahead of the World Cup.

But it has not yet released the Kroll report to the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).

The report highlights a number of areas of concern ahead of England's World Cup opener against Zimbabwe in Harare scheduled for February 13.

European Tour golfer Tony Johnstone believes the ICC is wrong to insist World Cup matches should go ahead in his native Zimbabwe later this month.

Johnstone, who lives in England and visited Zimbabwe last March, says the safety of players cannot be guaranteed.

The players will be used as propaganda tools by President Robert Mugabe, which will make them perfect targets for protests by opposition parties, he said.

"I think if the players were sensible, they wouldn't be prepared to put their lives at risk and why should they," said Johnstone on Saturday.

South Africa were given a rude awakening just eight days before the start of the World Cup as they were taken apart by Western Province.

Neil Johnson smashed 71 off just 53 balls to take the State side home after their bowlers had dismissed the national team cheaply early in the day.

Youngster Quinton Friend took four for 33 as South Africa were bowled out with seven balls of their 40 overs remaining.

Skipper Shaun Pollock chose to bat after winning the toss, but his 26 was the highest score.

South Africa 155 (38.5/40 overs) lost to Western Province 156-3 (31 overs)

After recharging the batteries with a much-needed mini-break, England are ready to resume their World Cup preparations.

With the dispute over their fixture in Zimbabwe still ongoing, coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Nasser Hussain are determined to keep the squad focused on cricket.

They will have their first net session in Port Elizabeth on Sunday after a four-day trip to the Sun City resort.

"I told the players not to go near a cricket bat," said Fletcher.

Craig White will face a make-or-break fitness test on Tuesday, ahead of the warm-up game against Eastern Province.

Thanks to an eagle-eyed official at the Canadian Cricket Board, spinner John Davison will be playing in the World Cup against former classmates from the Australian Academy.

His contemporaries from Australia's cricket finishing school include Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath.

But it is the job of putting north American cricket on the map that he will be engaged in during the tournament.

He was born in British Colombia while his Australian parents were teaching in Canada, but they moved back to Sydney when he was just five weeks old.

The 32-year-old did not return until an official at the Canadian Cricket Board noticed he had been born in the country while flicking through player profiles on the Internet.

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