CRONJE SACKING DISTRACTING AUSSIES

HANSIE Cronje’s sacking on the eve the first one-day game against Australia has ruined the three-match series before it has even started, the Australian team’s manager said on Tuesday. Steve Bernard said that Cronje’s sacking and the ongoing matchfixing enquiries have effectively reduced the three-match series to a sideshow. Bernard said: “People aren’t talking about the cricket. They are talking about this controversy. It’s a shadow over the series. This takes some gloss away.” The two teams are playing for the first time since their dramatic tie in the semifinals of last year’s World Cup.