Far from the rigours and intense pressures that is Test cricket, the touring West Indies have been presented with an ideal opportunity in Benoni to improve dramatically on two crucial aspects of their game. Their undisciplined bowling and staggeringly poor fielding have been highlighted by skipper Brian Lara as needing attention.
Kaizer Chiefs reclaimed the leadership of the Castle Premiership when they scored a hard fought 1-0 win over bottom-of-the log Hellenic at the FNB stadium on Wednesday night. There was no score at halftime.
The South African Football Association ‘s executive committee on Wednesday suspended Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba — on the eve of the squad’s departure for Mauritius where they play a Cosafa Cup match on Saturday as part of their build up for the African Nations Cup finals.
Japanese driver Hiroshi Masuoka stretched his overall lead in the Dakar Rally after winning the seventh stage on Wednesday. Masuoka completed the marathon 701km stage between Tan-Tan in Morocco and Atar in Mauritania in a time of 5:58,35, more than five minutes ahead of French driver Stephane Peterhansel.
Tiger Woods is ready for a new year — only this time he has company. Brilliant sunshine along Maui’s rugged coastline only adds to the optimism at the Mercedes Championships, which kicks off the 2004 season on Thursday. ”Things have changed a little bit,” Ernie Els said. ”The ‘Tiger effect’ is not as strong as it used to be.”
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More than a third of Zimbabwe’s commercial banks are unable to honour all their customers’ cheques, threatening to cause gridlock in the Southern African nation’s already troubled financial sector, economists said on Wednesday. Six of the 16 institutions have been suspended from the daily clearing of interbank debt.
The United States-led coalition will release 100 people from Iraqi prisons on Thursday, with hundreds more to be freed in coming weeks, the top US official in Iraq, Paul Bremer, announced in a policy address on Wednesday. Bremer also unveiled a programme of rewards for the capture of more wanted individuals.
Three members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union involved in a national baggage handlers strike were arrested on Wednesday after they allegedly assaulted six non-striking workers of Equity Aviation Services on Monday. Earlier the African National Congress urged the two parties to return to the negotiating table.
The man at the centre of a Western Cape shark-baiting controversy on Wednesday explained his motives and actions in a letter to a local newspaper, saying they were misunderstood by the public. ”My motive and intention was to attract the large white shark out to the open sea away from the beach area,” he said.