Kenya
Bob Woolmer >From the pavilion The first mini-World Cup Knockout was attempted in Bangladesh in 1998 to raise funds for the development of cricket throughout the world, and it proved to be a tremendous success. Capacity crowds watched some very exciting cricket. There is no doubt this latest competition, in Kenya, will be as exciting as the last. The first round pitted Bangladesh (newly granted Test-match status) against a resurgent England side, the results of which were too late for inclusion in this column.On paper Bangladesh did not stand a chance, but then one-day cricket is no longer the cut-and-dried affair it used to be.
In one-day cricket there are always more consistent sides than others, due in the main to the depth of experience of the senior playing nations (India play 42 one- day matches a year!). Of course a blend of that experience and youth is always a factor that selectors and coaches have to work on. England were favourites to meet South Africa and this will be a crunch match, especially if we consider the relevant facts. Recently South Africa held Australia to a 1-1 draw in the Melbourne stadium, then went to Singapore and beat Pakistan in the final. Their only one-day defeat recently has been at the hands of the hosts in Sri Lanka and even then South Africa got through to the finals. In my book they are still the side to beat in one-day cricket. England will have gained much confidence in beating the West Indies and Zimbabwe recently at home and they too now have a potent one-day side. The bowling of Darren Gough and Andy Caddick has given England a new cutting edge. South Africa have had the ascendancy over the England side and beat them in the recent England tour of South Africa, even when England had SA reeling at 25/5. Then one has to take into account the surfaces at the Nairobi club. In 1996 I was fortunate to travel with South Africa to a four-nation tournament contested by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kenya and South Africa. The pitches then were identical to those of the subcontinent – a red/grey soil that played beautifully for the batsman. But in last year’s tournament I noted that the pitches were very dry at the start and many of us will remember the extravagant turn that Sunil Joshi produced while bowling against South Africa. However, Andy Atkinson, the South African guru of pitches, has spent many months resurfacing the square. Rather than the red/grey soil, there is now the same soil available in South Africa and Australia, black clay called “bulli”. This will mean, assuming the weather is hot, that the side batting second will probably be batting on slightly better surface. This of course would suit South Africa and Australia and any team with good fast bowlers. Winning the toss on these surfaces therefore will be less important. So what can we look forward to? Australia versus India will be a fascinating tie, as will Pakistan and Sri Lanka. What will be exciting is the fact that all teams have a number of new faces and we are likely to see a new star in the making. I, for one, will fancy Pakistan. They are a dynamic team in these conditions and players like Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood are excellent young all-rounders who are getting better all the time. In Saqlain Mustaq they have a rare player who can turn matches on their head! I suppose the big question is: can Shaun Pollock’s South African side defend the trophy, with the return of the mighty Allan Donald? My heart tells me yes – and South Africa are unbeaten in Kenya! – but it will be tough. I am commentating for Talk Radio but I have an ulterior motive: I am looking to replace Donald at Warwickshire with a new overseas professional! I am therefore on a talent- spotting mission.