14 Monday 20th December, 2010

here is a lot of tip-toeing and whis- International Council’s inspec- to duck such issues. mechanism to house the World Cup partnership with Morne Morkel pering going on over a variety of tion team have heavily criticised not only Now it is being suggested in organisers and ICC officials involved in against in Abu Dhabi. It is the Tissues in Maitland Place these days, the refurbishing taking place in India at that two of ’s three troubled the running of the game. way he attacked the Indian bowling Yahaluweni. two venues, Eden Gardens and where the venues will face similar criticism and The venue inspection team head has which turned the third morning of the Ah yes, the enclave of the govern- event’s final is to take place, Wankhede there is the possibility the Hambantota expressed how the ICC team is dissatis- Test into an entertaining exercise as the ment appointed Interim Committee, aka Stadium, Mumbai. Partly hidden in the venue is so far behind that it needs fied over at preparedness of the three Sri crowd began to grow. , and its off-spring, report released, like Wikileaks, to certain another four months to be ready. Of Lankan stadiums to be used for the De Villiers raced to the three figures known as the organising secretariat for media, is heavy criticism of Sri Lanka’s course officials will deny all the com- event: Khettarama, Colombo, off only 75 balls, a scoring rate well in the World Cup 2011, are not so much wor- three venues for the event. ments and the reports on websites and in Hambantota and Pallekele in Kandy. excess of 100 and enjoyed the battle that ried about treading on broken eggshells; What has long been a major problem newspapers. What has disconcerted the ICC inspec- helped Kallis achieve his long-filled more like broken promises. in subcontinent sports administration is Professor Eugene van Vurren, an tion has been the almost easygoing way desire. After all, when it becomes the It has been written so often in these how those involved fail to understand internationally respected South African the issue has been tackled by those in first double out of 38 Test centuries, it is files how the three World Cup venues for something as simple as the concept of architect, and the ICC’s stadium consult- charge. understood how significant it becomes. the 2011 extravaganza are way behind meeting a deadline. The question that ant, designed and built the famed The website cricketnext.com said in a The de Villiers repertoire on Saturday schedule on , that it is almost a should be asked and this is telling the Centurion Test venue, now known as report that also appeared in Indian was full of improvisation and in many cliché. Now there are serious concerns political ‘bada’ not to get involved in mat- SuperSport Park, in 1986. The venue took Express and Deccan Herald, that the ways explains some of the enthusiasm which many seem to be trying to hide ters they fail to understand, is how this 10 months to build on a plot of land on interim report ends with the worrying the former coach, Mickey Arthur had for behind political rhetoric. was allowed to happen. A deadline is a the banks on the Hennops River. comment, “It will be necessary to re- his style of batting. All this fails to ignore how the deadline and those responsible are trying It was a venue that won an interna- inspect the venues and take a decision on The use of his feet against bowling ICC highlights World Cup venue chaos concerns . . .

tional design for Professor van Vurren, the viability of staging the World Cup that was little better at times than your who in his student days at Pretoria matches as currently scheduled.” Sunday Park League standard, can often University was a fair top order batsman No doubt the local ICC organising lead to a downfall. De Villiers, however, as well as a change bowler. He was the secretariat guys will issue suggestions knew what he was about. Quick of eye, ICC consultant in 2003 () and how the reports are misleading and that footwork and hand placement, he mauled 2007 (the Caribbean). the venues will be delivered on time, the bowling in such a way; there was no This explains how well he knows his mid-January. This is not the point of the place to hide for the fieldsmen. job and the requirements needed for the issue. What is taking At present he has no building of stadiums. It is his design on place should never have peer in the way he uses which Pallekele is based and why it has been allowed to happen in The Chesterfield Files his feet to the spinners, excited those of us who have seen it; a the first place and where which is why there are venue of great value in the central SLC need to explain such occasions when he over- island. failures. stretches this technique This being the case, the question is: While all this has been and on such occasions why then has it taken more than a year taking place, loses his wicket in the 50s. to build the venue at Hambantota to host have clawed back to level two games? There are some reasons, the series at 1-1 at His slog-sweep and well as isolated area is one where building mate- ’s Waca venue and in the execution of the leg- rials need to be shipped in. This, howev- South Africa AB de glance, paddle sweep and er, fails to excuse how it has taken so Villiers played a major the cut was sheer enter- long to get it ready. role in helping Jacques tainment. This made it Already, it has been confirmed that Kallis achieve a landmark the fastest South African the ICC are looking at back up venues if in his career, scoring a Test century of all time by Hambantota is not ready, with Dambulla double century. Anyone a massive 20 balls and the being one. Why such a state of affairs who watched the de 10th fastest of all time. has been allowed to happen is disturbing Villiers innings would It was only his 12th enough. What is even more worrying is have been impressed. century. Had it not been why there seems to be no accountability Kallis currently with a for an appalling decision by Billy Bowden at or transparency over this issue. As writ- Test batting average of BY TREVOR CHESTERFIELD ten last week, it gives an overlaid third 56.82 is slightly above that Saravanamuttu in 2006 world image. of Sachin Tendulkar’s during the second Test, What is also worrying, is 56.55, scored his maiden double century the Centurion century would have been what has happened to the reports at the Centurion venue on Saturday. his 13th. on the Sri Lanka venues when Apart from the jokes about his new The television replays of the incident Clive Lloyd led the inspection thatch of hair covering his bald pate, in 2006 indicated clear enough de Villiers team that went on to India. What Kallis exudes a batting expertise that was given out when it was the noise of has been pointed out and there ranks him above many others. the bat hitting the ground and the ball needs to be some cognizance of It was quiet an emotional moment as was nowhere near the bat. Such errors such an issue as this one. Already he lifted his helmet and offered the happen and why the UDRS is more than the ICC has pointed out in their innings in dedication to his father, Henry, useful if the technology used is good. report certain facts which seem who died in 2003 from cancer. Kallis had As for Kallis, you don’t always hear to have been overlooked by far to fly back to South Africa before the his name mentioned alongside other too many involved in a wild Lord’s Test to attend his funeral. It took a modern greats such as Tendulkar, Ricky scramble to deny the com- lot of persuasion by his dying father in Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Rahul ments. Cape Town to tell his son how his team Dravid and the rest. Remarks saying that other needed him. His maiden double century has taken than the building of the venue, De Villiers joins a select list of play- him 15 years, yet it should be understood there are a number of other ers who have scored a century before that while it has taken this long, has areas at the grounds that need to lunch in a Test; he becomes the second made it an even more defining moment be completed before any of the South African Tuppy Owen-Smith who in his career. His current average (56.8) is games for the event can be played. One was 21-year-old Rhodes Scholar when he the 12th highest of all time of those who is landscaping and the required beautifi- performed the feat back in the late 1920s. have played at least 20 Test matches and cation of the venues; another is the inte- Both batsmen scored their centuries on in terms of centuries he is sitting right rior finishing and furnishing; a third is the third morning of the Test. on Ponting’s tail as the third highest on installation of efficient entry gates along In fact, de Villiers has usurped Owen- the list. AB de Villiers . . . scoring runs in a hurry hurt India with certification by local authorities, Smith from the South African records in along with the provisional infrastructure successive Tests. The first being the last- (email:[email protected])

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - San Antonio’s NBA win- with 1:01 left in overtime also helped seal a third ning streak only just survived a strong Memphis straight down-to-the-wire Spurs victory, and their challenge on Saturday, with Tony Parker scoring eighth straight overall. Proteas on course 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and over- Memphis was without the suspended Rudy time to give the Spurs a 112-106 win over the Gay, but O.J. Mayo (27 points) hit a game-tying 3- Grizzlies. pointer with 21 seconds left to force overtime. Parker was 15 for 21 from the field, putting Jazz 95, Bucks 86 despite Tendulkar feat up a season high while scoring nine of San In Milwaukee, Utah overcame a double-digit Antonio’s final 10 points in regulation. His 8-footer deficit for the ninth time this season and over- CENTURION, ed because of strong hauled Milwaukee. South Africa (AP) - winds at the The Jazz shook off a season-low 71 points in Sachin Tendulkar SuperSport Park their previous game to surge home after falling and the weather held ground and an Spurs beat behind by 12 early. up South Africa’s approaching thun- Deron Williams scored 22 points and added charge toward victo- derstorm. 11 assists, while Al Jefferson added 18 points and ry late on day four of Tendulkar (103 Grizzlies in nine rebounds for the Jazz, which had 10 of its 14 the first Test against not out) and offensive rebounds in the second half. India at Centurion Mahendra Singh Andrew Bogut scored 19 points and had nine on Sunday. Dhoni (90) led a grit- rebounds to lead the Bucks. Tendulkar ty fightback for India overtime Heat 95, Wizards 94 became the first with a 172-run part- In Washington, Miami survived a fright from player to score 50 nership after the top- lowly Washington to notch a 12th straight win. Test centuries as ranked Test team LeBron James had 32 points, seven India reached 454-8 had slipped to 277-6, rebounds and six assists. James and Chris Bosh in its second innings chasing the home got away with contact on Kirk Hinrich on a poten- when play was halt- team’s first-innings tial game-winning layup, letting the Heat edge the total of 620-4 last-place Wizards, who nearly pulled off the declared. upset without injured No. 1 pick John Wall and But Dhoni and the just-traded Gilbert Arenas. India’s Sachin Harbhajan Singh Tendulkar looks up as were out within five Three-day swimming training he celebrates his cen- balls to put South tury on the fourth day Africa on the brink camp from Dec. 22 of the first Test of victory, with India against South Africa still 30 runs behind BY W. D. VITHANA, DELGODA at the SuperSport when play ended. A three-day Swimming training camp Park in Centurion, organised by the Sapugaskanda Yoshida South Africa, on Swimming Academy will be held at the Sunday Dec. 19, 2010. Brief Scores: Yoshida Swimming Pool from December 22 Tendulkar became the India 136 and 454 for to 24 (8.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m.). 8 (Tendulkar 107 not San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, centre, of The swimming camp is open for those first player to score 50 Test centuries in the out, Dhoni 90, Steyn France, drives past Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike interested from around the country. 3-103) Further details could be obtained from cricket history. Conley (11) and Tony Allen, right, during the (AP Photo/Themba South Africa 620 for fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game, Senior Swimming Instructor, H. Thilak 4 declared. Ratna Kumara on 0714991999. Hadebe) Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, in San Antonio. (AP)