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New Zealand’s hopes of success in the tri-series with India and Australia starting today will rest on resolving the long-standing puzzle of bowling at the death. This has consistently been a weak area in the New Zealand game but one which will again be sorely tested given the batting line-ups both the world champion Australians and, the runners-up, India possess.The death phase of games has so often been shown to be the vital stage of matches, the true difference between winning and losing. Control is something of an art form, and was an area where New Zealand enjoyed some ice cold composure during its outstanding era in the 1980s in the one-day game. More recently, the attention to this phase has not resulted in any significant formula being achieved.But if the side is to advance in the one-day game it is the area that most needs addressing. The facts are revealing. New Zealand has the worst of the Test-playing nations, even Bangladesh does better, albeit with less games to throw into the equation. However, New Zealand’s plight can be seen from the fact that the Netherlands has a superior record.Average runs conceded by each country in the 47th-50th overs of completed innings, between September 1 2001 and September 1 2003 (instances in brackets):

1st innings 2nd innings All innings————————————————————Pakistan (16) 28.8 ( 6) 25.3 (22) 27.9South Africa (22) 30.2 ( 6) 22.7 (28) 28.6England (13) 31.7 ( 4) 24.3 (17) 29.9West Indies (14) 31.1 ( 2) 24.5 (16) 30.3Australia (19) 31.7 ( 3) 27.0 (22) 31.1Sri Lanka (21) 32.9 ( 5) 27.0 (26) 31.7India (19) 35.1 ( 4) 24.8 (23) 33.3Zimbabwe (22) 37.5 ( 2) 17.0 (24) 35.8New Zealand (17) 38.5 ( 1) 35.0 (18) 38.3Netherlands ( 3) 36.7 – ( 3) 36.7Bangladesh (13) 38.1 – (13) 38.1Namibia ( 6) 40.5 – ( 6) 40.5Kenya ( 8) 43.5 – ( 8) 43.5Canada ( 1) 52.0 – ( 1) 52.0

On Asian soil:

All innings—————————-Pakistan (11) 24.3Sri Lanka (10) 27.9England ( 2) 28.5West Indies ( 3) 31.0India (12) 34.3New Zealand ( 7) 34.7South Africa ( 3) 34.7Zimbabwe (12) 36.7Australia -Netherlands ( 1) 33.0Bangladesh ( 9) 42.9Kenya ( 4) 43.8Canada -Namibia –

Again, a measure to be considered by a side looking to be competitive on the international scene is the absence of New Zealand bowlers among practitioners regarded as death specialists. Daryl Tuffey, is the only New Zealander to feature, and his placement is a further indication of how under-valued he was by some critics before the just-completed Test series with India. But to see Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Andre Adams on the list for worst bowling at the death is of significant concern.INDIVIDUAL BOWLING AT THE DEATH:Best death bowlers (minimum qualification 10 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-AR Caddick ENG 11 59 5.36M Muralitharan SL 18 97 5.39A Flintoff ENG 27 161 5.96CD Collymore WI 16 96 6.00GD McGrath AUS 27 170 6.30Wasim Akram PAK 22 140 6.36SM Pollock RSA 57 363 6.37Shoaib Akhtar PAK 19 131 6.89ST Jayasuriya SL 21 145 6.90TJ Friend ZIM 13 90 6.92

On Asian soil (minimum qualification 5 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-Shahid Afridi PAK 5 14 2.80HDPK Dharmasena SL 8 40 5.00M Muralitharan SL 10 50 5.00Wasim Akram PAK 7 40 5.71RP Arnold SL 7 42 6.00Waqar Younis PAK 5 30 6.00D Gough ENG 7 43 6.14Harbhajan Singh IND 5 31 6.20DR Tuffey NZ 9 56 6.22SM Pollock RSA 9 57 6.33

Worst death bowlers (minimum qualification 10 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-SM Ervine ZIM 14 148 10.57JDP Oram NZ 11 110 10.00TM Odoyo KENYA 15 148 9.87DT Hondo ZIM 24 235 9.79PW Gunaratne SL 11 104 9.45IJ Harvey AUS 10 93 9.30AR Adams NZ 21 192 9.14A Nehra IND 10 90 9.00WPUJC Vaas SL 17 150 8.82JN Gillespie AUS 11 97 8.82

On Asian soil (minimum qualification 5 overs):

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-DT Hondo ZIM 13 118 9.08SB Styris NZ 6 55 9.17TCB Fernando SL 5 46 9.20JDP Oram NZ 9 87 9.67Z Khan IND 12 120 10.00SM Ervine ZIM 8 82 10.25M Dillon WI 6 62 10.33Mohammad Rafique BDESH 9 96 10.67V Sehwag IND 6 67 11.17TM Odoyo KENYA 7 83 11.86

All New Zealand bowlers at the death:

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-KD Mills NZ 4 15 3.75NJ Astle NZ 1 5 5.00CL Cairns NZ 7 43 6.14DR Tuffey NZ 11 83 7.55PA Hitchcock NZ 2 17 8.50SE Bond NZ 16 138 8.63DL Vettori NZ 5 45 9.00AR Adams NZ 21 192 9.14SB Styris NZ 8 78 9.75JDP Oram NZ 11 110 10.00CD McMillan NZ 2 25 12.50CZ Harris NZ 2 25 12.50JEC Franklin NZ 4 57 14.25

On Asian soil:

player team overs runs rpo——————————————————-KD Mills NZ 2 2 1.00DR Tuffey NZ 9 56 6.22AR Adams NZ 4 31 7.75SE Bond NZ 2 18 9.00SB Styris NZ 6 55 9.17JDP Oram NZ 9 87 9.67CD McMillan NZ 2 25 12.50DL Vettori NZ 1 13 13.00

Most expensive death over:

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-28 RJ van Vuuren NAMIB AUS Potchefstroom 2002/0327 AA Donald RSA AUS Perth 2001/0227 JEC Franklin NZ RSA Perth 2001/0226 MA Suji KENYA IND Paarl 2001/0226 AR Adams NZ ZIM Bloemfontein 2002/0325 WPUJC Vaas SL PAK Tangier 200224 JN Gillespie AUS PAK Nairobi (Gymk) 2002/0324 SM Ervine ZIM PAK Sharjah 2002/0323 SM Pollock RSA WI Cape Town 2002/0323 CZ Harris NZ ZIM Bloemfontein 2002/0323 GD McGrath AUS PAK Brisbane 200223 DT Hondo ZIM PAK Sharjah 2002/03

Most economical death over:

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-0 Mohammad Sami PAK NL Colombo (SSC) 2002/030 Alok Kapali BDESH WI Benoni 2002/030 AA Donald RSA BDESH Benoni 2002/030 DR Tuffey NZ PAK Dambulla 20030 B Lee AUS RSA Melbourne 2001/020 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/020 A Symonds AUS BDESH Darwin 20030 A Flintoff ENG NAMIB Port Elizabeth 2002/030 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/020 KD Mills NZ SL Dambulla 20030 GD McGrath AUS WI Gros Islet 2002/030 Inzamam-ul-Haq PAK BDESH Chittagong 2001/02

Most expensive death spell (2 overs):

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-40 RJ van Vuuren NAMIB AUS Potchefstroom 2002/0336 JEC Franklin NZ RSA Perth 2001/0235 WPUJC Vaas SL PAK Tangier 200234 TM Odoyo KENYA RSA Cape Town 2001/0233 LJ Burger NAMIB ZIM Harare 2002/0333 CM Willoughby RSA IND Dhaka 200333 ML Nkala ZIM PAK Bulawayo 2002/0333 IJ Harvey AUS RSA Port Elizabeth 2001/0233 Z Khan IND ZIM Faridabad 2001/0232 D Gough ENG RSA The Oval 200332 V Sehwag IND WI Vijayawada 2002/03

Most economical death spell (2 overs):

runs player for against venue season—————————————————————-0 Shahid Afridi PAK BDESH Dhaka 2001/022 KD Mills NZ SL Dambulla 20032 JM Anderson ENG PAK Manchester 20033 GD McGrath AUS WI Gros Islet 2002/033 SM Pollock RSA IND Colombo (RPS) 2002/033 Alok Kapali BDESH WI Benoni 2002/034 RC Irani ENG NAMIB Port Elizabeth 2002/034 TM Odoyo KENYA CAN Cape Town 2002/034 Mohammad Hafeez PAK ENG Manchester 20035 V Sehwag IND KENYA Paarl 2001/025 A Kumble IND KENYA Paarl 2001/025 MR Ramprakash ENG ZIM Harare 2001/025 SM Pollock RSA KENYA Benoni 2001/025 CRD Fernando SL BDESH Colombo (SSC) 20025 GD McGrath AUS WI Jamaica 2002/03

Run scoring in death situations is also not healthy. The statistics show that New Zealand, especially in the second innings of matches, is the worst performed of the Test-playing nations in scoring runs at the death. It is better placed in the first innings of games, but only slightly.BY COUNTRY AVERAGE RUN SCORING AT THE DEATH:Average runs scored by each country in the 47th-50th overs of completedinnings (instances in brackets):

1st innings 2nd innings All innings————————————————————Pakistan (25) 40.2 – (25) 40.2South Africa (26) 39.1 ( 3) 30.5 (29) 38.2West Indies (15) 38.5 ( 4) 31.3 (19) 36.9India (18) 37.2 ( 1) 30.0 (19) 36.8Zimbabwe (10) 38.3 ( 7) 28.3 (17) 34.2Australia (23) 33.9 ( 2) 30.0 (25) 33.6New Zealand (16) 33.1 ( 4) 24.8 (20) 31.5Sri Lanka (26) 28.7 ( 3) 26.3 (29) 28.4England (20) 27.3 ( 1) 25.0 (21) 27.1Kenya ( 9) 27.2 ( 1) 10.0 (10) 25.5Bangladesh ( 3) 28.7 ( 4) 19.3 ( 7) 23.3Netherlands ( 3) 25.7 ( 1) 11.0 ( 4) 22.0Canada – ( 1) 16.0 ( 1) 16.0Namibia – ( 1) 14.0 ( 1) 14.0

On Asian soil:

All innings—————————-West Indies (11) 39.0India ( 9) 39.0Pakistan (13) 37.8South Africa ( 4) 35.8Australia ( 1) 35.0Zimbabwe ( 5) 33.4Sri Lanka (13) 30.8New Zealand ( 7) 30.4England ( 4) 28.3Kenya ( 1) 29.0Bangladesh ( 5) 19.2Netherlands ( 1) 19.0Canada -Namibia –

Statistics compiled by Duane Pettet.

Warnie’s Back!A very special luncheon as been organised for Tuesday 1st July 2003 at The Rose Bowl.Australia and Hampshire legend, SHANE WARNE, is to return to his UK home together with the man Southampton football supporters call Le God, MATTHEW LE TISSIER and the World’s finest One Day bowler WASIM AKRAM for a unique Sportsman’s Lunch.This one-off event in The Rose Bowl’s Long Room is limited in number to just 150 guests. Tickets can be obtained by calling the ticket hotline number 02380 470966 and are priced at £65 (plus VAT) or £600 (plus VAT) for a table of 10The event is planned to start at 12.30pm for lunch at 1.00pm. A 4-course luncheon with house wine is included in the ticket price. The entertainment will take the form of an open question and answer session with our principal guests taking questions from about 2.00pm.Anyone with a serious interest in sport will not want to miss this one-off event.

Hampshire Hawks got their ECB National League season off to a winning start, defeating Sussex Sharks in a low scoring encounter at The Rose Bowl on Sunday.Damp conditions meant that the wicket would always be difficult to bat on, so John Crawley on winning the toss chose to make first use of the conditions, and was soon to rue his decision when they lost three quick wickets to the Sussex seamers for just 23 runs.John Crawley edged Robin Martin-Jankins to the wicket-keeper, out of form Derek Kenway and new boy Simon Katich both fell lbw to the pacy James Kirtley.Robin Smith however held his end for a sturdy 44, a more circumspect innings in the circumstance than his usual style, and he found a good foil in Nic Pothas, after James Hamblin edged Kevin Innes to slip. Smith and Pothas put on 39 valuable runs, before Smith who had previously driven Innes for six, drove too early and was caught at mid-wicket. Will Kendall also edged the perservering Innes to Montgomerie.With six wickets down for 97, Pothas was joined by Dimitri Mascarenhas as they edged towards a more respectable total. Mascarenhas was bowled going for an expansive drive, and Wasim Akram playing his first one-day match for his new county was dismissed without scoring.Pothas continuing the form that sees him as the leading run scorer this season in first-class cricket nationally, remained not out, but Hampshire’s score of 144-9 did not seem enough despite the vageries of the wicket.At 50 for 1, that seemed to be the case. Montgomerie was trapped lbw to Chris Tremlett, but when Innes fell the same way, Sussex continued to lose wickets. Tremlett bowled superbly for his three wickets, Wasim Akram was his accurate best, and James Hamblin despite one ball costing 10 runs (no ball four, followed by a free ball six), also contributed well.Shaun Udal then forced a frustrated Goodwin to lift the ball to give Hamblin a comfortable catch, then in the space of three balls removed Michael Yardy and Mushtaq. Wasim took the wicket of Kirtley, then Billy Taylor was run out following a direct hit from Mascarenhas. Sussex all out for 101 recorded their lowest Sunday/NUL league score against Hampshire since 1974.

New Zealand’s failure to better the country’s sorry record in the finals of the Australian tri-series dominated the newspaper headlines today.While the Australians tended to look towards their next series against South Africa, the winners, the New Zealand viewpoint looked again at the continuing problems the side faces in building a game plan.The New Zealand Herald: “It was New Zealand’s fifth consecutive tri-series loss and not only meant a 2-0 defeat in the best-of-three finals but a fifth unsuccessful attempt at lifting the silverware.”It was also something of a tepid finish to a campaign which had promised the unthinkable at the halfway mark, as New Zealand led the competition with three wins from four games.”Try as they might, the New Zealand top order could not find an effective mix of attack and defence, and were tormented by a South African attack which proved just as parsimonious as on Wednesday night.”The only period of relief for the New Zealanders during the opening stanzas was when a spectacular electrical storm hit the SCG, flooding the ground and delaying play for 90 minutes.”When New Zealand left the ground their innings was in dire straits at 75 for five, and it was only some desperate work from Chris Cairns – last man out for 57 – and Chris Harris which enabled the total to be boosted to 175 and avoided complete embarrassment.”The Sydney Morning Herald: “South Africa emerged from the near white-out of a blistering hailstorm to convert their recent history of domination of New Zealand into a major limited-over triumph with a 2-0 series wipeout of the Black Caps at the SCG last night.”Only Chris Cairns’s discretion and a splash of devastation in his 73-ball innings of 57 carried the ailing Black Caps past the 40-over mark as they sank to a 14th loss from their past 15 limited-over internationals against South Africa.”An effortless flick of the wrists by Cairns deposited a Lance Klusener (2-30) delivery over the fence at long-on before the punishing all-rounder drove the catch to Nicky Boje at the base of the Hill after his 75-run partnership from 115 balls for the sixth wicket with Chris Harris (31).”But for the best part of the final, the Black Caps struggled against the speed of Allan Donald (3-29) and Shaun Pollock (1-24), the medium-paced wiles of Jacques Kallis (3-23) and Klusener and relentless accuracy of finger spinner Boje (0-21).”The Weekend Australian: “South African captain Shaun Pollock said his team did some soul-searching mid-tournament after three consecutive losses as the turning point.”‘We went to Adelaide and re-assessed and discussed with the team where we could go forward and just asked everyone to stand up and be counted, and the guys have done that,’ Pollock said last night.”New Zealand captain [Stephen] Fleming said the Kiwis expended too much energy in their early performances and suffered from injuries and mistakes – particularly against arch-foe South Africa – as the series progressed.”The Kiwi openers Lou Vincent and Nathan Astle got their side off to a slow start last night, enduring more than four overs without scoring despite escalating taunts from the crowd.”It was quite literally the calm before several storms.”

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia has appointed former test cricketer Naushad Ali to review the poor performance of the team in the ICC World Cup 2003.The committee in which former Test cricketers Aaqib Javed and Sultan Rana are included as members will submit its report within 15 days.The well informed sources told Dawn that after the report of the committee a new look team would be formed to take part in the Sharjah Cup to be held at Sharjah from April 1. Former skipper Moin Khan has been tipped as captain of the new look team, the sources said. But the surprising factor behind appointing the committee is that PCB chairman by himself formed the selection committee and also appointed Waqar Younis as captain for the World Cup despite severe criticism.The chairman has been working at this post after World Cup- 1999, without any barriers and so far he took all his decisions without the opposition of constitution and any council as both are not existing in the board.Instead of this committee, the government should set up an independent commission under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. In the last World Cup held in England, the Pakistan team lost the final to Australia. But the press and public raised hue and cry which forced the government to set up a commission headed by Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari to probe the defeat in the final and also stunning defeat at the hands of minnows Bangladesh.According to a PCB spokesman the committee will start its working from March 8 and will complete it within 15 days.”The committee which has been assigned the task to work independently has been authorised to interview any player or official they want and will have access to any material required by them including the match tapes”, the spokesman said.The spokesman while quoting the PCB chairman said that the poor performance of the team during the World Cup matches, its failure to qualify for the Super Sixes and defeats at the hands of Australia, England and India had been source of serious widespread concern both to the public at large as well as the PCB management. This despite intensive preparations by the PCB and making available all possible resources to the team for the prestigious event.The committee will thoroughly review the performance going into each and every aspect including the selection both before and during the Cup matches, the role of captaincy, individual performances and suggest suitable measures to remedy the situation.The following are the terms of reference of the World Cup review committee: To review the selection criteria of the team for each match of the World Cup 2003. To review the selection of the team for each match of the World Cup.To review the strategies and game plans formulated for each match. To review the roles of players and officials particularly the Coach and Captain of the team in the overall dismal performance.To give opinion on the causes for the below standard performance. To give recommendations on penalties to those found responsible for the poor performance.To recommend steps for improvement to avoid such performance in future.

BAT Sports are off to a flying start in the newly formed Hampshire Cricket Board Under-16 Indoor League.They won both their opening matches at the Rose Bowl, beating Andover by seven runs and Basingstoke & North Hants by nine wickets.BAT’s victory over Andover in some way compensated for their defeat in last summer’s Southern Electric Gas Under-15 Trophy final.Ricky Rawlins (28), Craig Vigar (15) and Gary Cozens (15) guided BAT to 101-5 in 12 overs – a total Andover at one stage appeared to have little prospect of matching.But although Hampshire YC duo Steve Williams and James Manning were dismissed cheaply, Mark Copplestone (25) continued the fight … only to be suicidally run out at 94, with an over still remaining.BAT emerged comfortable winners against Basingstoke, restrictng the May’s Bounty club to 87-5 (James Parfitt 22) before Rawlins (26) and Matt Couch (27) set up the five-wicket victory.Basingstoke’s younger age side also lost by five wickets to Andover – a tidy knock by Mitchell Stokes (27) proving in vain as Manning (26 ret) and Williams (21) steered Andover to a comfortable win.Overall, the standard of cricket played was high – some athletic fielding complementing accurate bowling throughout the first series of Under-16 games in the Rose Bowl Cricket School.RESULTS:
BAT Sports 101-5 (Rawlings 28, Vigar 15, Cousins 15) Andover 94 (Coppleston 26, Guilfoyle 18, Rawlings 2-10)
Basingstoke & North Hants 87-5 (Parfitt 22) BAT Sports 89-1 (Couch 27, Rawlings 26)
Basingstoke & North Hants 82-1 (Stokes 27, Davis 21) Andover 83-1 (Manning 26, Williams 21, Palmer 15)
NEXT WEEK:
Mudeford, who won the HCB SunBank Under-15 Trophy last summer, take their bow in the competition at the Rose Bowl on Sunday.Fixtures : 6pm Fair Oak v Mudeford, 7pm Fair Oak v Locks Heath, 8pm Mudeford v Locks Heath.

The Pakistanis must be feeling a trifle disappointed at not having gone past the 500 mark. But they made a score of well over 400 in the first innings of a Test match for the sixth time on the trot. Having won the match on all the five previous occasions, starting with the Old Trafford Test against England, there is no way skipper Waqar Younis and his charges would not be fancying their chances in this second Test of the rubber to inflict a second successive whitewash against the Windies at home.At the close, the Caribbeans had lost four wickets, for 164, and with the follow-on still a fair distance away, 109 runs to be precise; the Pakistani bowlers must already be sniffing the opportunity. Carl Hooper was unbeaten at 40 (6 fours), with night watchman Merv Dillon at the other end. With only three recognised batsmen remaining (Hooper, Ryan Hinds and Ridley Jacobs), the West Indians would need some exceptionally good batting from at least two of the three to make a fist of it.Having bowled out Pakistan for 472 in their first innings, the West Indies lost opener Chris Gayle in the fourth over, Shoaib Akhtar’s pace finding the inside edge onto the stumps. Daren Ganga and Wavell Hinds took the fight back to Pakistan with some well-executed strokes, taking the score to 88. Right when they seemed to be ruling the roost, Saqlain Mushtaq beat Hinds’ defences as he went for a sweep to get bowled round his legs.Two more wickets followed. Shahid Afridi reminded one and all of his intrinsic all-round value by claiming Ganga’s prized wicket with a top-spinner right when he was threatening to strike it big. Ganga made 65 with the help of 10 crisply struck fours. Not to be left out, Danish Kaneria had Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught by Youhana at silly point.Four down, the West Indies were really facing an uphill task, and a fresh and varied Pakistan attack is not likely to allow them any respite.Earlier, it was overall a much better day for the West Indies in the field. The ‘visitors’ were a whole lot more tidy, as they checked the run-rate, dropped no chances to grab the remaining seven wickets for the addition of just 128 to the overnight 344-3. Razzaq was there at the end, but the tail folded around him, leaving him high and dry at 64.The Caribbeans captured the last four wickets for a mere 25, as Cameron Cuffy celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by not allowing the tail to wag. Cuffy’s four for 82 was his career-best, and it sent Pakistan packing 35 minutes into the middle session. With 3 for 137, the other main wicket-taker was leggie Dinanath Ramnarine, while the diligent Merv Dillon’s share was 2 for 63.It goes without saying that Pakistan’s total was about 50 to 100 runs less than what they had expected to get. And while 462 looks impressive, a score of around 550 would have given them the aura of invincibility. But that was not to be, as the Windians were in no mood to repeat the mistakes of day one, when in addition to some mindless bowling they also dropped four catches.Yousuf Youhana was his fluent self. Having added 13 runs to his overnight 47, he tried to cut a straightish one from Dillon, and the bowler was rewarded for his relentless toil with a valuable wicket, his second and last in this match so far in which he certainly deserved more particularly on day one.Youhana’s departure in the fifth over slowed things down quite a bit, and the wickets too kept falling at regular intervals. When the extended morning session ended, Pakistan had added 88 runs from 34 overs.

Fidel Edwards returned home to Barbados after his impressive Test debut, and insisted that the transition from domestic to international cricket was not as daunting as he had feared."It [playing for the West Indies] wasn’t really as difficult as I thought it would be," Edwards told the Barbados-based Nation newspaper. "It is just about going out there, keeping on your head and bowling." The 18-year-old Edwards was thrown in at the deep end – his Test debut was only his second first-class match – but he took 5 for 36 in the Sri Lankan first innings and impressed with his maturity and aggression.Edwards said that he had benefited from a spell at the West Indies Academy, as well as a brief pre-match net bowling at Brian Lara. "I just bowled about four balls at him, but he was talking to me before that."If I get picked for the upcoming tour, I will give my best. I hope to get over 50 wickets in the domestic season and just take it from there," Edwards added.

A little Grenadian stood tall at Kensington Oval yesterday.Devon Smith, a 20-year-old opening batsman who created a big impression with his phenomenal scoring on the West Indies youth team’s tour of England last summer, advertised his rich talent with a century of immense class.And while none of his teammates reached 30, his imposing presence at the crease from the start of the day until 4 p.m. ensured that the Windward Islands posted a satisfactory total on the opening day of their second round Busta Cup match against Barbados.Smith’s 143 was just under half of the 327 made by the resurgent Windwards, the second successive innings they have gone past 300 this season.The left-hander might have had the benefit of chances on 26 and 56, but no will argue about the quality of his maiden first-class hundred against a Barbados attack that lacked consistency.Smith was supremely positive from his first scoring stroke to his last and when he eventually missed a paddle-sweep to be lbw to Sulieman Benn, two of the Bajans on the field patted him on the shoulder before he walked off the field to generous applause.The crowd of about 2 000 knew that they had witnessed something special from a potential West Indies selectee.It might be too premature to make such a comment, but Smith has made a bold statement in the last seven months.His two hundreds and four half-centuries in major matches on the England tour last year was followed by 84 in last weekend’s Busta opener against Jamaica in his native Grenada, but yesterday would have been the most satisfying moment of his career.This is my biggest hundred. I’m looking for greater things in the other games to come, said Smith.I just want to stay there, concentrate and bat for long, and in the end I think I’ll make it.Smith stroked 19 fours and a six from the 222 balls he received, but it was obvious that he favoured driving through the off-side with timing and placement.The faster bowlers were driven down the ground early in the day and when off-spinner Ryan Austin came on after 13 overs with Smith already in full flow on 35, he was treated with scant respect.Austin, fresh from a career-best five-wicket haul, was a teammate of Smith in England, but it was in no way a deliberate plan to get after him immediately.That’s my normal game. Once you are up there, I will play my shots. I am full of confidence, Smith saidThings are working out for me. I want to continue my good form and grow from strength to strength.Austin’s first ball was lifted over long-on for a boundary and the third and fourth were dispatched over long-off. Such was the confidence of the young man who hails from the northern Grenadian town of Sautters.By then, Smith had already been missed by Kurt Wilkinson at second slip. It was the first of at least five identifiable chances Barbados missed on a day in which their ground fielding was also ragged at times.Wilkinson is usually a reliable catcher, but he was again a culprit later in the day when he dropped a catch at deep mid-wicket in the middle of the productive sixth-wicket stand of 68.Benn, debutant Fidel Edwards and wicket-keeper Courtney Browne were the other offenders, although Browne’s miss was not exactly straightforward.Windwards, seeking to break the string of defeats against Barbados, were encouraged by an opening stand of 90 between Smith and teenager Romel Currency, who survived for close to two hours in spite of his early difficulties that included a blow to the helmet from the pacy Tino Best.Currency was the first of four victims of Ian Bradshaw, but the left-armer did not bowl half as impressively as he had done in his match-winning performance against Guyana four days earlier.The Windwards lost a couple of wickets through some carelessness on the part of their seasoned players. Among them were first match century-maker Junior Murrary, along with captain Rawl Lewis and vice-captain John Eugene.

Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe has charged that umpire Dave Orchard, one of South Africa’s most senior officials, was “not friendly” towards the east Africans during Sunday’s Standard Bank One-Day International in Kimberley.Odumbe claims that the umpire said “I did not come here to listen to your bullshit” when he was asked by the bowler to move his position. Odumbe also said that Orchard would not clarify a query about his no ball calls, telling the Kenyans that they knew where the lines were.Odumbe did not directly name Orchard, but said that the umpire who had upset the Kenyans had not been standing at the end from which the Kenyan captain had bowled. Wilf Diedricks was the umpire at the end from which Odumbe bowled.Orchard is a veteran of 24 Test matches and 75 One-Day Internationals and is on the International Cricket Council’s international panel. A former first-class all-rounder with Natal, he is generally well liked by players because of his feel for the game, although his blunt manner of speaking has sometimes been misinterpreted by people meeting him for the first time.In terms of ICC regulations, Orchard may not comment on the matter.