Wednesday 7th April, 2010 13 Bedser said. It caused Bradman to initiate a ICC chief to unveil special net session afterwards, in which he instructed the bowlers to focus solely on imitating Bedser’s WT20 trophy deliveries. But in six subsequent Tests, Bedser dismissed him a fur- in Pakistan ther five times. No other Test bowler ever had such sustained suc- Karachi: et badly damaged and cess against him. International Cricket scared away all interna- Aside from his relentless accura- Council chief executive tional teams. cy and prodigious movement, Haroon Lorgat will Sources said Lorgat Bedser was famous for his stamina become the first ICC offi- and other ICC officials and fitness. He regularly bowled cial to visit Pakistan in were coming to Karachi 1,000 overs in an English summer, over a year when he since Pakistan were the rarely broke down and only once lands in the city to defending champions of left the field during a Test match, attend the Twenty20 the tournament that and that was to be sick. World Championship’s starts on April 30 in the He scoffed politely at the mod- trophy launch on April West Indies. ern bowlers’ lack of overs and their 15. “Lorgat and his dele- proneness to injury. “I always Pakistan Cricket gation will remain in bowled in the nets before a match. Board officials said Karachi for less then a There’s no substitute for bowling. Lorgat would also day but his visit is a sig- No good looking at videos. Now they address a joint press nificant move as far as play football to warm up. I don’t conference with PCB revival of international understand it. You don’t see a golfer chairman Ejaz Butt and cricket in Pakistan is playing football before his round do Pakistan’s Twenty20 cap- concerned,” one official you?” tain Shahid Afridi on the said. PITCH PERFECT: Alec Bedser, who developed a delivery that was to haunt the great Don Bradman. I asked him what the secret of same day. Lorgat himself has (Photo: ALLSPORT HULTON ARCHIVE) his fitness was. “Digging. From the It would be the first time and again said that age of 12 I did it all the time – on visit by an ICC official to resumption of interna- allotments or helping my dad with Pakistan since terrorists tional cricket matches in came down the wicket and said, his building. And if you do it prop- attacked the Sri Lankan Pakistan immediately is ‘What the hell’s going on?’ erly, and regularly, it exercises team in Lahore in March, out of question. “Peter Smith was at mid-on and everything you’ve got, particularly 2009. It was an attack Bedser was the he said ‘you can’t hold a new ball your lower back.” that left Pakistan’s crick- (PTI) like that’ and I said ‘why can’t I?’ Understated about his status as and I ran up and did it again. And Bradman’s nemesis or his huge con- Warne of his that’s when I found out I could do it. tribution as selector and adminis- And I spun it. People don’t believe trator during some of the most tur- me, but I actually spun it.” bulent times the game has known, By the fourth Test at the he preferred to talk about how he time and tamer Adelaide Oval he had perfected it. and his twin, Eric, narrowly He had already removed the escaped being shot in France during Australian opener, Merv Harvey, the Second World War, or the time with it when in walked ‘The Don’. It they helped lead survivors to safety of Bradman was his home pitch. There were a after the Mount Vesuvius eruption few minutes left for play and the air in 1944. of expectancy was immense. The Bedser twins were insepara- BY SIMON HUGHES view, to commemorate his 90th ble (and indistinguishable), using birthday in 2008, he explained to me “The ball was swinging in a little their likeness to trick batsmen, n his way Sir Alec Bedser was as how it evolved during the MCC tour bit,” Bedser recalled. “I denied him umpires, barbers, barmen, dinner influential on world cricket as of Australia in 1946-7. his favourite leg-side push to get off guests and even female acquain- IShane Warne. His unique brand “My coach, Alan Peach, had the mark for a few balls, and with tances. of brisk inswing and cutters con- taught me to hold the ball across the my ninth ball I held it with that new It was the right time for Alec, founded a generation of batsmen seam to stop it swinging. In the sec- wider grip. It swung in and pitched something of a nostalgist, to depart, and made him the leading Test ond Test in Sydney I was bowling to leg, cut away and hit off.” before the game he served with dis- wicket-taker in the world in the Syd Barnes and I’m thinking I can’t There was a collective groan as tinction for 70 years became totally early 1950s. swing it in to him, he’s a fine leg- the crowd realised their great hero unrecognisable. The leg-cutter, the ball that bam- side player. So I held the new ball had been bowled for a duck. “He boozled Don Bradman, was his spe- across the seam and it pitched and said afterwards that it was the best © The Telegraph Group, cial weapon. During his last inter- went away like a leg-break. Barnes ball that had ever got him out,” London, 2010 Thomian Semenya to return old boys at rugby to racing on June 24 The annual rugby BY GERALD IMRAY this year before I return to competi- match between the JOHANNESBURG (AP) - tive athletics." old boys and present Caster Semenya has decided to wait The 19-year-old South African, boys of S.Thomas’ for the results of her gender verifica- whose lawyers had said they would College, Mount tion tests before returning to com- file legal papers against ASA if they Lavinia, which is petitive running, saying Tuesday did not clear her to run, said she played for the Flt. LT. that she will race on June 24 at a wanted confirmation from the IAAF Jason Martenstyn meet in Zaragoza, Spain. that her situation would be clarified Trophy, will be held The 800-meter world champion by the beginning of June. at Ceylonese Rugby said in a statement that she had "I welcome ASA's public state- & Football Club agreed to the request by Athletics ment that it will ensure that the (CR&FC) on April 9 South Africa to wait for the results IAAF is held to its undertaking to (Saturday) at of the tests, which are expected in complete its processes by the begin- 4.30pm. June. ning of June," Semenya said. "I trust According to the Semenya said she still believed that ASA will do the honorable thing organizers of the she should be allowed to compete but and stick to its word in this regard. match, Old Thomians had reflected on the events of the "I have also instructed my legal Rugby Football past week. She was prevented from representatives to seek confirmation Union, the match will running in a competition near Cape by the IAAF that it will complete its be followed by fel- Town last Tuesday and responded by processes by the beginning of June. I lowship at the threatening legal action. also trust that this will be forthcom- CR&FC club house. "I believe that the decision to bar Caster Semenya said Tuesday that ing." More details me from competing in Stellenbosch she will race on June 24 at a meet IAAF spokesman Nick Davies about the match can last week was unlawful and wrong- in Zaragoza, Spain. said Tuesday that he could only reit- be obtained by call- ful," Semenya said in the statement. erate the track body's official posi- ing Sehan "I have, however, considered the the International Association of tion on Semenya. (0777789626) or request by Athletics South Africa Athletics Federations' (IAAF) "No comment until the case is Gavin (ASA) that I await the conclusion of processes by the beginning of June concluded," Davies said. (0777356776). (RN) Holcim F.A.Cup-2010 The greatness of Elin Woods Pelican SC rout STOCKHOLM: When Tiger aren’t that surprised. Sweden is Woods returns to golf at the still a champion of women’s Red Sun SC Masters this week, a lot of peo- rights, but in recent years a Pelican SC recorded a massive 8- ple will be looking to see if his more conservative view toward 1 win over Red Sun SC, in a second wife Elin will be at his side. the merits of the family has round match of the Holcim F.A. Cup It may seem puzzling to been making a small comeback. 2010, at Maligapitiya grounds last women around the world that Like Woods, many Swedish Saturday. In another fixture, the 30-year-old former model women have grown up with Jupiters SC beat New Star SC 4-0 at hasn’t already left her cheating divorced parents, and are Kadolkele grounds in Negombo. husband. She is, after all, from increasingly focused on building The results of the second Sweden — a nation famous for homes and keeping their fami- round fixtures: Matara City SC beat Galle Youth its strong-willed and independ- lies together, said Lena SC (3-1), Green Field SC beat Flying ent women. Gustafsson, a cognitive psy- Arrows SC (4-1), Super Sun SC beat In her homeland, too, there chotherapist.