Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s spin magician and the world’s greatestbowler according to Wisden, is on the verge of afull recovery from a hernia operation and is expected re-enter theinternational fray on January 9 when Sri Lanka take on Australia at the SCG.He carries with him hopes of a Sri Lankan revival.Predictably, Murali has been sorely missed. Since flying to Australia forpre-emptive surgery Sanath Jayasuriya’s team have won a solitary ODI ineight attempts. Their wayward bowlers have been flogged mercilessly and youwould be being generous if you called the fielding butter-fingered. Thebatting, with the exception of Russel Arnold, has been woeful.

Confidence has not leaked away, it has flooded from the players, leavingcoach Dav Whatmore tearing out his hair in frustration, no doubt ponderingwhere it all started to go awry. Just nine months ago the side was ridingthe crest of a wave after notching up ten consecutive Test victories but nowthey are being openly mocked.Of course, the reasons are complex. Some cast their mind back to a teamrevolt against the selectors last January. Others point firmly at the darkhand of political interference in the cricket board, which intensifiedduring the year. A growing band blames the captain and the coach.There is no doubt that some off-field matters have adversely affectedperformance, especially a selection process that has tottered on theshambolic during the past year, but the single most important reason for SriLanka’s dip is the absence of Murali.Sri Lanka are not an exceptional side. Jayasuriya has at his disposal alimited pool of talent. There are no baby-faced Aravinda de Silva’s waitingin the wings. Fast bowlers of international pedigree remain scarce. However,there is a hardcore of quality and when that core is fully fit and playingtheir full potential Sri Lanka will be competitive against all sides. Butwhen form and confidence slides, or injuries intervene, there are problems.The absence of Murali has a particularly disastrous effect. The off-spinner’s importance to the side cannot easily be overstated. Despite claimsthat Sri Lanka are not overly reliant on him, the fact is that his uniquebrand of bowling has played a major hand in the vast majority of Sri Lanka’striumphs. Sri Lanka have won only a solitary Test without him since hisdebut 1992 and that was against lowly Bangladesh. His contribution in theone-day game is no less significant. During Jayasuriya’s reign in charge SriLanka have won 65% of the ODIs they have played with him in the side.Without him Jayasuriya’s win ratio slips to a lowly 22%.A groin injury knocked the side off course in South Africa two years ago.The same injury allowed England to win a controversial home series in 2001.A dislocated shoulder paved the way for Pakistan’s victory in last year’sSharjah final and let England off the hook at Lord’s shortly afterwards.Without Murali, Sri Lanka are average.

His value to the side is not measured in wickets alone. His persona provides inspiration. Whether gesticulating wildly in the covers,screaming encouragement from the boundary or tossing the ball between hisfingers as he prances in to bowl, he injects the side with positive energyand confidence.Thus, the news that his recover is on course should already be lifting theflagging spirits of his team-mates. He will sit out the Australia A match atAdelaide but, despite bowling only three gentle overs in a fundraising gameso far on the tour, will most probably play in Sri Lanka’s crucial game at theSCG on January 9. He may be rusty but it is a gamble worth taking.It will not be easy though. Once again, his resilience will be tested to thefull by Australian scrutiny of his bowling action. Indeed, the legality ofMurali’s action, an unusual mix of wrist rotation and locked elbow, hasconsumed the minds of Australian fans, umpires and journalists on both hisprevious tours down under in 1995-96 and 1998-99 when he was no-balledby local umpires. Although cleared to the satisfaction of the InternationalCricket Council (ICC) after high-tech scientific analysis, Sri Lankans fearfurther chucking controversies.Already the tabloids have seized upon comments made by former umpire RossEmerson, who called Murali in 1998-99, to re-ignite the debate. With DarrylHair, who called him in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 1995, due toofficiate in Sri Lanka’s second game at the SCG on January 13 there isclearly potential for trouble. But Murali claims to be unconcerned, lookingforward to the challenge of playing in Australia: “They can’t question meanymore, in my mind, because it’s gone. It’s all past. I never thought aboutnot coming to Australia. I always wanted to play here.”Sri Lanka’s New Year has already started well with a victory against astrong Australia A side at the MCG. The fielding has improved and theconfidence of the fast bowlers is growing steadily. With Murali returningSri Lankans can now look forward with real hope for the second part of theVB Series.

The bid by the England and Wales Cricket Board to have the World Cup match against Zimbabwe played at a South African venue has failed. The World Cup technical committee, which heard the fresh evidence that the ECB had to offer about security in Zimbabwe has, for the second time, dismissed that evidence and has awarded the points from the match to Zimbabwe.This still left the ECB with an opportunity to appeal to an independent judge, as happened on the first occasion the technical committee dismissed their case, but chief executive Tim Lamb, speaking at a press conference shortly after the decision was announced, said that they would not be taking that option although convinced of the legal strength of their submission.He said, "We feel we have done everything we could have done to persuade the ICC of the merits of our case."We feel the issue has gone on long enough. In the interests of the World Cup, it’s time to move on and put the whole protracted and unfortunate episode behind us."Lamb and the ECB’s head of legal affairs, Mark Roper-Drimie, had attended the seven-hour meeting in Johannesburg yesterday in an attempt to reverse the technical committee’s previous verdict.However, despite presenting the new evidence that it would have been unsafe for England to have travelled to Harare, the committee was unmoved when presenting its verdict this morning.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed did say: "It’s a decisionwhich gives the committee no pleasure," but that will be of little consolation to England who now know that they must win at least two of their matches against the big three in their group – Australia, India and Pakistan – to have any chance of qualifying for the later stages of the tournament.Sympathy also came from Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler who was a member of the committee. He said: "I can understand their feelings because I have been through it too. I had to look at what the security professionals brought forward.”England’s disappointment with the result of the hearing was in direct contrast to the sentiments of the president of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, Peter Chingoka, who said: "We are delighted. This puts the matter to rest and we can now focus on the tournament."England too can now focus on the rest of the tournament, although without the cushion of the eight points that Zimbabwe now enjoy following their win against Namibia and their victory in the conference room.However, despite the ECB’s decision not to appeal against the loss of the four points, it is unlikely that this will be the last to be heard about the matter. England may now face calls for compensation from the ICC for refusing to play in Harare. On this point, Speed said: “I don’t expect a quick resolution, not before May or June and certainly not before the end of the World Cup."

Sri Lanka need to win at least one and possibly both of their remaining Super Six matches against India and Kenya to have any chance of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.Australia are already there after beating them by 96 runs at Centurion, and Sri Lanka’s captain Sanath Jayasuriya was injured while batting.”I was hit twice, the first one on the thumb and then I got hit on the arm later in the same over,” explained Jayasuriya. “It’s painful but we will have to wait and see about the next game.”When you’re chasing such a big total it’s important that one or two of yourbatsmen get big scores and we weren’t helped by me having to retire hurt andthen losing some early wickets but Aravinda played well.”Sri Lanka’s coach Dav Whatmore was less than impressed by the team’s performance, stressing the need to bounce straight back if they are to overcome India in their next match.”We weren’t very clever today,” Whatmore said. “It’s another test for our boys because India are not a bad side and we need to get points sooner rather than later – it’s a big test of our character.”Australian captain Ricky Ponting was made man of the match for his 114, and insisted that Jayasuriya’s injury would have no effect on their bowling strategy in the rest of the tournament.”You never want to see anyone get seriously hurt and hopefully he hasn’t beenseriously injured, but it’s a World Cup and we’re trying to bowl where theirbatsmen are least likely to score,” Ponting said.”If that happens to be at the body then it will be at the body. We’re not going to go out there and bowl him full wide ones because he’s going to smack us over cover or point every time – that’s a weakness in his game and we’ve picked up on that of late and we’ve been able to execute that pretty well.”It was a pretty good day for us. I thought they got a few more runs than I would have liked at the end, but that happens in those sort of games – they had nothing to lose at the end of the game and Aravinda got stuck into us a little bit.”The batting was very good and the bowling with the new ball was excellent,we had them under pressure right from the word go and we executed our plansparticularly well.”

Australia were quite fittingly re-crowned champions of one-day cricket on Sunday, a team that was a class above all their competitors in the tournament. Their supremacy in international cricket was further emphasised, when they put up an awesome show against a resurgent India and strolled through the competition undefeated. Never has a side been so dominant since the mighty West Indies of the 70’s, and even they might not have matched the brilliance of the Aussies on the field. Spectacular ground fielding, a brilliant batting line-up and a fiery bowling attack, its hard to find a chink in the Australian armour, much to the discomfiture of all opponents.Another amazing aspect is they were missing two key components of their bowling attack, Warne and Gillespie. Shane Warne is the man who is responsible for the revival of spin in modern-day cricket, and the manner in which he exited the tournament would have surely shaken up many other sides in the world. It came on the eve of a crucial encounter against Pakistan, but without blinking an eyelid, Australia got onto the field and spectacularly swept aside a potentially dangerous Pakistan. They never looked back, constantly improving as they went along in the tournament, while a distraught Pakistan never managed to recover from the mauling.In the final, a remarkable fact about the Aussie side, was the collective effort, each man contributing towards the victory, without necessarily trying to be a one man demolition like a Tendulkar, for India. Hayden may have had a dismal tournament going by his extremely high standards, but he set the platform with Gilchrist from which the Aussies launched towards a massive 359. Martyn proved his worth in the final, inspite of nursing a damaged finger, while Ponting led from the front with both bat and on the field. The fielding of the Australians, on its own, was a joy to watch in the tournament, as they set the benchmark for all other teams.However, it was the commitment and body language of the Aussies that set them apart from all the other sides in the competition. Many would argue that it is easy for a side to display spirit if they are a constantly winning, but they dug themselves out of a hole against New Zealand and England, when they certainly looked dead and buried. Brad Hogg stepped up in the absence of Warne, while Bichel, a man who has been on the sidelines for quite a while, never let Australia down after the injury to Gillespie. While many players of the calibre of Bichel may have been disheartened at never managing to find a place in the playing eleven, inspite of credible performances in the past, he waited for his opportunity and grabbed it with both hands when it came. The strength of the Australian reserve players is remarkable, where they have a back up player, almost equally as capable to cover for their main stars.So what can Pakistan and the rest of the world, learn from the Aussies? There is surely a lot to learn, but above all is the fact that national pride is of utmost importance, and no one individual is bigger than the game itself. The absence of a star player due to injury is not due cause for drooping of shoulders, instead it is a chance for the side to prove that they are a brilliant unit, not a one-man show. Secondly, the Pakistanis especially, must learn to deliver on the field, rather than try and intimidate the opposition in pre-match press conferences. Seniors in the Pakistan side had suggested that Australia had dropped the World Cup by dropping Steve Waugh from the side, while some felt that they could not handle the raw pace of Shoaib Akhtar. The Aussies let their performances do the talking, and its time we learn from that!The use of the `all-rounders’ has also been highlighted by the Australian side. While sides like England, Pakistan and South Africa go in with a few bits and pieces players, the Aussies believe in the picking of specialists. A solid opening pair is one of the reasons for their success with Gilchrist proving to be a better all-rounder than the likes of Afridi, a magnificent keeper and an equally competent batsman. He also proves that he is not merely a pinch hitter, but an aggressive batsman with supreme shot selection.The combination of the side consists of six specialist batsmen, a wicket keeper and four genuine bowlers. However, they have made sure that the likes of Lehmann and Symonds can complete the quota as the fifth bowler, while the other four bowlers look to bowl the opposition out. The manner in which the fifth bowler is utilized by Ponting is worth watching as well. He looks to bowl the opposition out within 40 overs, and if he can’t manage that, then he makes sure that the pressure is on at the other end with Lee firing on all cylinders. That does not allow the game to drift, a mistake often made by the Waqar Younis in the current World Cup. Bowlers like Bichel and Lee, have been made to work at their batting, and are now very useful contributors as well. Thus he refrains from picking individuals who are mediocre in either department of the game, but are merely classified as `all-rounders’.Other sides must also take a look at the manner in which the bowling and batting line-up is structured. The attack has two line and length bowlers in McGrath and Bichel, who stick to the basics, one genuine attacker in Brett Lee, Brad Hogg as a useful spinner and a few cover-up bowlers. Each individual knows his role, and thus they complement each other. The Pakistan bowlers on the other hand attack on all fronts, with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar looking to rip apart the batting order single-handedly. While that has worked on some occasions, but often means that there is no one to peg things back when the main plan goes wrong. Saqlain also tends to try too many things, rather than playing on the patience of the opposition. The likes of Afridi and Razzaq too cannot always stick to the basics, thus letting the opposition off the hook.The Aussie batting has a few flamboyant stroke-makers (not mindless pinch-hitters) in Gilchrist and Ponting, a rock solid Hayden, a patient accumulator in Bevan, while Martyn and Lehmann are versatile players. The Pakistani batting line-up consists of a complete set of stroke players, with no man playing the role of the anchor. Hopefully, Taufeeq Umar will prove to be the answer to that problem, while Faisal Iqbal must learn to be the accumulator in the middle order.The World Cup may have ended, but there are many more important events to come in the year. The Aussies have certainly thrown down the gauntlet and set a high standard, its time other sides try to reach it or continue to be pulverised by this Australian juggernaut that seems to roll on and on.Ed: If readers wish to correspond with the author, please email Taha Noor

Responding to members’ requests, I’d like to outline the role of your Members’ Committee.As Rose Bowl Plc runs Hampshire Cricket – why have a Members’ Committee?Well, prime reason for our existence is to be your link to the PLC. We represent your interests/needs/concerns.How do we do this? David Robinson and I attend the monthly Hampshire Cricket board meetings. We can then express the views of members and hear their plans for Hampshire Cricket.So it’s important we communicate with you. How do we do this?a) by using Hampshire’s websiteb) by individual discussionsc) by producing 2 publicationsThe Newsletter (known as) Delivery – A well received andprofessional publication. Thanks go to Andrew Renshaw for his unstinting efforts in production of this and also The Hampshire HandbookOther publication is Rose Bowl Round Up (Previously Hawkeye)Name changed in order not to be confused with the TV Graphics companyof same name now based at The Rose Bowl.RBRU is available during the season giving up to date news on HampshireCricket. Production this year will be monthly during 1st championshipgame of the month and publication dates will be issued in advanceThere will be sufficient numbers printed this yearThanks to David Robinson and Vic Isaacs for their help in production inthe past. Alison Willcocks will take over from Vic this yearBest form of communication is face to face and that’s why we arrange Members’ Forums like the one to follow the AGM.Do you want more? – then let us know.These give opportunity for Q & A to those running the business of Hampshire CricketWe are flattered this year that Radio Solent will be broadcasting our forum live tonightIn order to broaden communication across the county we have 3 local associations, Bournemouth and New Forest, North & Borders and Portsmouth and SE.These provide opportunity to discuss Hampshire Cricket in social atmosphere.All 3 associations are looking for help in organising, so any volunteers please let us know.We don’t have an association based in Southampton. Do we need one?- let us know.Good example of benefits of fundraising tonight as Ray Cook and Brian Scrimshaw from N & B and P’Mouth and SE respectively will now present cheques to Tim Tremlett as contribution to the cost of cricket balls used by youth cricket in Hampshire.David Robinson has already present a cheque to Tim Tremlett on behalf of B’Mouth and New Forest.We still have our Committee Box situated on right of pavilion.Here we entertain visiting Committee/Officials.Do see us there and let us know your views:-For example we have arranged a jazz band after play on the May 4th Sunday Game v Sussex. Would you like more?There is a members’ golf competition on July 14th at the Rose Bowl’s own courseWe have arranged 3 dates to do tours of the facilities for new (and existing) membersWhat else would members like to have?It still remains the Committee’s responsibility to decide who receives a Benefit or Testimonial In fact ECB rules state that we must have a proposal in writing from a member supporting a candidate before we can make our decision.Again we want to hear from youFinally we take responsibility for fundraising for Hampshire County Cricket Youth Trust. This must be kept separate from Rose Bowl Plc’s own fundraising.Thanks for listening and I hope I’ve thrown some light on your Members’ Committee’s role.ROGER TREHERNE

Denis Aberhart, New Zealand’s coach, believes his bowlers still have enough time to force a win despite a fightback by Sri Lanka’s batsmen on day three of this opening Test.New Zealand claimed just three wickets in three sessions as Sri Lanka finished on 267 for four after half centuries from Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Hashan Tillakaratne.”It’s hard out there but I think they stuck at it pretty well today,” said Aberhart. “The lines were right and they created some opportunities which might have gone our way with a bit more luck.””In the first session, 75% of the runs were scored in boundaries and, although we pulled it back later in the day, there were too many four balls. We need to bowl more dot balls to put them under pressure.”Sri Lanka need another 49 runs to avoid the follow on target but even if New Zealand conjure up a spectacular collapse with the second new ball they will not enforce the follow on.”I don’t think we will be forcing the follow on now,” said Aberhart. “Instead, we will look to set a target, if we can get them out quick enough. There is a lot more work to be done but if we can get a couple more wickets and put some pressure on their long tail it is game on.”Mahela Jayawardene, who scored an unbeaten 58, adding 133 for the fifth wicket with Hashan Tillakaratne, was relieved to have contributed with the bat after a dismal World Cup in South Africa and then spilling four catches in the first innings here.”Things have not been going my way for the last couple of months,” said Jayawardene. “I found my timing and confidence in that knock against New Zealand in the warm-up game, where I worked on my balance and just stuck tothe basics.””Yesterday’s fielding was one of the most disastrous outings that I have ever had. Nothing went my way and a let the team down – I felt really bad. I try to not think about such things when I go out to bat but obviously it was at the back of my mind.”Jayawardene, who slowed down just before the close, conscious of the need to deny New Zealand a morale boosting wicket at the end of the day, warned that Sri Lanka were not yet safe.”The pitch is getting slower and there is some for bite for the spinners, but if you concentrate hard and don’t play loose shots then you can survive,” he said. “We fought hard today but the job is only half done. We have to survive for at least another session tomorrow.”

Bournemouth are shaping up for a long overdue challenge in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League after dominating neighbours Bashley (Rydal) in the last of the initial batch of 50-over matches.A 50-run victory brought Bournemouth a third successive win – and, when the nine-week stint of all-day matches begin next Saturday, the confidence to interrupt the Havant-BAT Sports monopoly of Premier League affairs for the past three seasons.With twice-champions Havant losing by three wickets at South Wilts, Bournemouth and BAT are now the only unbeaten Division 1 clubs. "I think we’re up for it this season," says skipper Matt Swarbrick."This is the best side we’ve had since we won the old Southern League championship back in 1996 and I fancy we’ll be challenging."We’ve got a nice blend : plenty of experience – a top ex-pro in Richard Scott and a quality overseas player in Adam Voges. And plenty of others who can play a bit as well."Bashley, in contrast, have started badly – a third defeat in four suggesting that they are going to have to get their heads down to avert a struggle for ECB survival.The margin of Bournemouth’s victory at the BCG was more emphatic than the 50-run statistic suggests.The game was in the balance for 20 overs or so, but once Geoff Warrington and Richard Scott had steadied an uncertain 73-3, Bournemouth gained command and went on to post an unassailable 252-9 off 50 oversBournemouth owed much to their fourth-wicket pair, whose 126-run partnership effectively put Bashley out of the reckoning.Bournemouth lost Matt Swarbrick second ball and teenager Nick Park at 58-2, but were buoyed by the class of Western Australia’s Adam Voges.The former Australia Under-19 all-rounder survived a missed run-out and a spill at mid-on, but caught the eye with several imperious shots.He got off the mark with a blistering on-boundary drive and soon afterwards sent a venomous hook for six so far over the square-leg boundary that play was delayed for almost ten minutes while spectators searched to retrieve the ball !To Bashley’s relief, Voges tried one ambitious shot too many and was trapped leg before attempting to whip a Matt King delivery off his pads.Bournemouth lost the momentum for a while – King frequently beating the outside of Warrington’s bat – but once the fourth-wicket duo played themselves in, the runs began to flow.Scott, in particular, was timing the ball sweetly; Warrington hitting straight and hard – frequently to the boundary.Bashley rotated their bowlers – seven in all – but were unable to stem the tide – Scott piercing the ropes with a six and seven fours, and Warrington hammering three sixes and ten boundaries.It took an outstanding one-handed catch by Kevin Nash six overs before tea to remove Scott for a splendid 62.But Warrington plundered on, cracking a league best 91 before King rearranged his stumps at 237-8.Nash picked up 4-40 as late wickets tumbled, while Joe Wilson scored his first league runs since August 2001 as Bournemouth closed at a formidable 252-9.With a player of Luke Ronchi’s quality in their armoury, Bashley might have been optimistic of challenging the Bournemouth total.But with the Western Australian starlet wintering at the famous Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Adelaide and his overseas replacement Brad Thompson nursing a badly broken finger, they had neither the depth – nor any real confidence in their batting – to muster anything significant.They began well enough through Chris Sketchley (27), but wickets fell all too easily – Dorset left-armers David Kidner and Martin Mixer taking two each as Bashley lurched to 72-5.Stephen Phelps, who played County Championship cricket for Glamorgan in the mid-1990s, hit 23 before perishing leg before at 93-6.As Bournemouth relaxed their grip, so Neil Taylor (43) and Shaun Lilley (26) used their experience to add an air of respectability to the run chase.Although they added 58, the outcome was inevitable – Scott (3-34), the former Hampshire and Gloucestershire all-rounder, completing a good day’s work with the last two wickets as Bashley were dismissed for 202.

The Indian board (BCCI) is considering filing a counter claim against Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) for its “failure to properly market the World Cup.” Addressing the media for the first time after attending the board meeting of the ICC Development International (IDI), BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya stated: “We definitely reserve our right to file a counter-claim against GCC.”According to an Associated Press report, Dalmiya had raised this point in the board meeting of the IDI. The IDI has withheld guarantee money of approximately US$9 million in view of the likely claims for damages from the GCC for violation of ambush-marketing clauses by Indian players during the World Cup in South Africa.It is not entirely clear what this counter claim will be based on.

A career best 133 from Nicky Peng helped Durham recover from losing four cheap wickets eitherside of lunch, with the young batsman carefully steering his side to a more respectable 353-8at the end the opening day of their Championship match against Glamorgan at Cardiff.Peng shared a disciplined partnership of 96 in 38 overs for the 7th wicket with Graeme Bridgeafter Durham had slipped to 141-6 as Robert Croft took 4 for 12 in 36 balls. Peng also receiveduseful support in the final hour and a half from Nicky Phillips, with the pair adding a further116 in 27 overs for the 8th wicket.Jon Lewis had earlier won the toss and had elected to bat first, but the Durham captain wasthe first wicket to fall as he got a thin outside edge in Michael Kasprowicz`s sixth over,and was caught behind. Six overs later, Durham`s other opener, Michael Gough, was wellcaught on the deep backward square-leg boundary by Jonathan Hughes as Gough top edged anattempted pull against Alex Wharf.Martin Love and Gary Pratt then shared an attractive third partnership stand of 73 in 19 oversbefore Love was caught behind in the final over before lunch as the Australian attemptedto square cut Robert Croft. Then in the third over after the interval, Pratt was bowledattempting to play a similar shot against the Glamorgan skipper, who shortly afterwards yorked Vince Wellsas he advanced down the wicket.With his next delivery the off-spinner trapped Phil Mustard leg before, before Bridge survived the hat-trickball and then with Peng shared a steady stand for the 7th wicket to show that both survival and steadyaccumulation were perfectly possible on the true Sophia Gardens wicket. Peng duly reached his half-centuryfrom 99 balls, with 8 fours, and Bridge was within a run of following his partner to the fifty mark when hewas well caught by Jimmy Maher at short-leg to give Croft his fifth wicket.Peng continued to thwart the Glamorgan attack after they had taken the new ball, with the Durham batsman hittingKasprowicz for three fours in one over. Peng`s assault rather ruined Kasprowicz`s bowling figures after theAustralian had bowled a miserly spell of 8-6-2-0 after lunch. With Nicky Phillips offering valiant supportat the other end, Peng reached his first Championship hundred of the season after facing 195 balls andhitting 15 fours and a six.The youngster added a second six with a fierce pull over long leg off David Harrison to pass his previous best of 108against Derbyshire last summer, and the pair had added 116 – a Championship best for the 8th wicket by Durhamagainst Glamorgan – before Peng was bowled in the final over of the day, pushing forward to Dean Cosker.

South Africa 682 for 6 dec (Smith 259, Kirsten 108) beat England 173 (Ntini 5-75) and 417 (Flintoff 142, Ntini 5-145) by an innings and 92 runs
Scorecard
Graeme Smith
On South Africa’s performance: It was a fantastic team performance. The batting was superb and the bowlers did really well. They put in the hard work and were very disciplined.On Mike Finnegan, the motivational psychologist working with the team: He’s been working really hard on the mental side of our game. He joined up with us after the final. [And, to much laughter from assembled hacks:] He’s from England.On Makhaya Ntini, who shared the Man-of-the-Match award with Smith for taking ten wickets in the match: It was a superb effort by Makhaya. He always comes back from his bad overs and is always ready to bowl. He is superb and is an icon for the country.On his bowlers, whose workload increased after Dewald Pretorius was injured early in the game: Their fitness levels were tremendous. They never once moaned. They just said “give me the ball”.On the dressing-room celebrations after the game: There’s a lot of carnage. Lots of screaming and shouting, nobody really knows what to do. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. Everyone is running around mad. It’s fantastic.On the third Test: It’s going to be a huge Test. If we can win there’s nothing stopping us.We will celebrate tonight but be humble tomorrow.Michael Vaughan
On England’s performance: We never got into the match. We have a lot to learn and a lot of hard work to do now. We have to pick ourselves up and put in a better display at Trent Bridge. I congratulate South Africa, but we were just not good enough over the four days.We’ve just had a meeting and everyone held their hands up and said we’re just not good enough. Our shot selection was poor, the disciplines with our bowling weren’t right and our catching was not up to scratch.On the road ahead: I’ve given them a talking to in the dressing room which was pretty down to the bone and maybe taught them a few facts which I thought they needed to know. Hopefully it will give them a gee up and get them ready and prepared for next Test.On the captaincy: To get hammered in your first Test as captain, to try and lift the team for the next game will be a huge challenge for myself and I’ll have to show huge character. I don’t think we were as hungry as South Africa. I can’t answer why and it is something that has to be addressed.It’s still a huge honour to captain your country.On team selection for the next Test: It’s easy for me to sit here and say of course we need a change but I’ll sit down in the next 48 hours, do a bit of thinking, where I think we went wrong, where I think we can improve and try and come up with some sort of plan.As to whether we look to the future or not, I don’t know. This week I’ll sit down and settle a few things with the selectors. At the minute I’m not a selector and David Graveney has been very good to say that, if I suggest something, they’ll take it on board.On the qualities an England Test player should have: First of all you need character, you have your good days and your bad days and you need a heck of a lot of character to bounce back . You need an immense attitude and somewhere there you need some ability. I genuinely think that to play at the highest level with the pressures you need a lot of character.On Andrew Flintoff, who hit an entertaining 142 on the last day of the match: [His innings] will definitely give him a boost. His shot selection was outstanding, he picked the right balls to hit.On Darren Gough, whose retirement from Test cricket is being speculated upon widely: If Goughie is going to retire he hasn’t told me. He’s had two years out of Test cricket and come back and bowled on two flat wickets. He’d probably be the first to admit he hasn’t had the best of rhythm but he’s been bowling against a guy in supreme form.On the possibility of Graham Thorpe returning to the side: If he’s right in his mind and personal life then I am sure the selectors will talk about him. He’s a fantastic player.