Special ton for forgotten star

Published in Witness: December 28

Sri Lankan middle order star batsman Thilan Samaraweera yesterday said that his first innings ton in the second Test against South Africa was special as he thought his Test career was over earlier in the year.

“When I was not included in the Australian series I thought my career was over, and I watched the Pakistan series burning to play for my country. When I got the call that I was going to be in the South African series as cover for the injured Mahela Jayawardene I knew that I might have only one chance to make a mark and I was happy to do so,” said Samaraweera.

He batted for two sessions on day one and the majority of the morning session of day two before a momentary lapse in concentration saw him loft a ball which saw him caught on 102.

“Batting in the first session yesterday was tough. We did not know what to expect from the pitch and added to that the wild card of Marchant de Lange meant that we had hard work to do,” he said.

He added that although they were surprised about the effect that De Lange had on the match, they were partially prepared for him.

“We thought he had a long run up, but when we saw it was short we thought back to when we used to face English fast bowler Simon Jones. So we drew on that,” he said.

After being bundled out before lunch yesterday, Sri Lanka bowled well to bowl South Africa out for 168, their lowest total ever against the visitors.

“We were surprised at the uneven bounce we got today (yesterday), also how much turn Rangana Herath got. And this wicket will not improve, so we are in for some fireworks over the next three days,” he said.

The end of the line in sight?

Published: Weekend Witness October 2011



THEY say all good things must come to an end, but who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the fallout of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) apparent greed would come in the same season as India’s famous World Cup victory?


In India, cricket evokes the same passions that rugby does in New Zealand. Its not a sport, its an obsession. And although India has already seen nearly eight months of non-stop, top-flight cricket, some people would have bet the mortgage — and then take out a second bond to bet their life — that no matter how many more cricket games the ICC has in India, the stadium would be packed to the rafters every single time.


The ICC has taken advantage of this by forcing Test cricket to take a back seat to its more profitable ODI and Twenty20 cousins. Test series between England and India always produce thrilling cricket, yet they only played four Tests in India’s recent visit to England. 


Many cricket pundits in South Africa are now crying foul, saying that two Tests against Australia is sacrilege. All of this because the ICC wants to stash as much cash into its coffers as it possibly can. And, where in the past the electric buzz reverberating around cricket stadia in India were so loud that commentators had to shout into their mikes, during England’s recent tour of India, even those on the upper pitches could suddenly discern the almost foreign sound of willow whacking leather. 


In the past, Indian fans used to pack stadia so full that they seemed to be bursting at the seams. On this same tour of England to India, rows upon rows of empty seats greeted 
India’s world cup heroes at the Wankhede Stadium, where only 13 000 people turned up to watch India demolish England. 


This was the smallest cricket crowd in Mumbai since 1975. 


Many excuses were made to explain this anomaly — high ticket prices, injury to top players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, and limited concessions stands at stadia. 


The excuses were all smoke-and-mirror tactics to divert attention away from the fact that — quite possibly — the ICC is holding too many tournaments and the Indian fans are growing tired of the sport they love so much. Before the goose that lays the golden eggs waddles off the ICC’s pitch, it needs to go back to the drawing board and rethink how it can grow the game. 


A solution is not far off. In fact, if the ICC took the time to listen to the regular fan on the street, it would not have had to anguish about the sudden rows of empty seats at Wankhede. 


For years now, cricket’s most well-known writers and analysts have been calling for a return to full tours. 
When I think back to my fondest cricketing memory, it involves a Test match and, surprisingly, not one involving South Africa. 


Before I tried my hand at print journalism, I was a radio broadcast journalist in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In 2005, an Australian cricket team featuring the talents of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath went to England to cement their dominance of the Ashes. 


It turned out to be a disastrous tour. The series was drawn 1-1 going into the final Test at the Oval. 
I worked with an office full of English expats and we were glued to the BBC live online commentary of the game. 


The sounds of David Gower describing Steve Harmison’s last over will always be imprinted on my mind and although it pains me to admit this, but I went on radio that night and had to come to terms with the fact that the Test where England won back the Ashes was the best Test match I have witnessed yet, and quite possibly ever will witness.


But this led me to think back and recall other memorable Test moments. Brian Lara’s magnificent innings in 2004 at the Antigua Recreation Ground where he scored 400 against England to reclaim the record that Matthew Haydon stole from him a few months earlier (against Zimbabwe of all nations), Fanie de Villiers’s victory over in Sydney in 1994, when Australia needed just 117 runs to win. De Villiers took 6/43, including the final wicket — a return catch from McGrath to lead South Africa to a five-run victory, their first in Australia since return from isolation. 


De Villiers’s match figures of 10/123 saw him named Man of the Match. Cricket purists have many more memories like this which they cherished. 


Perhaps the focus of the ICC is in the wrong direction. 


Instead of focusing on how much money it can swindle off people in one year with a seemingly endless supply of limited-over tournaments, it should focus on how it is going to cultivate and grow the next generation of Test followers. 

Steve Harmison bowled well to reclaim the Ashes for England in 2005

Forgotten warriors back in the fold

Published: Weekend Witness October 2011

After a hiatus of almost six years from test cricket, Zimbabwe have announced their reintroduction into the test arena with some gritty performances which suggest that the controlling body for the sport, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been justified by their decision to re-award the sleeping African nation its test status.

Although Zimbabwe lost the recent one off tests against Pakistan fairly significantly, Zimbabwe managed to beat Bangladesh with performances from Zimbabwe’s younger players suggest that given time, the nation can regain some cricketing pride and take its place amongst the world elite

.

For many years, Zimbabwe was able to claim that it was one of the most gritty test playing nations in the world. While it could not compete against the bigger teams in the world, it could hold its own against them and often spoil the apple cart.

However, this was denied in 2005 when the (ICC), announced that political turmoil in the embattled country, along with a string of poor performances, would mean that Zimbabwe would be temporarily stripped of its test status. However, the country would be allowed to compete in the shorter versions of the game.

But many argued that denying up and coming Zimbabwean youngsters a chance to prove themselves in the games ultimate benchmark would be a significant blow to cricket in the country and would set it back 30 years. However the ICC stood by their decision saying that their hand was forced by established test playing countries such as Australia and England who refused to tour the country because of its political landscape.

The global distain for the country’s political landscape came to a head at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup which was played in South Africa. In the lead up to the tournament, England was under significant pressure to boycott their game against Zimbabwe, which was due to take place in Harare. Knowing that much would be at stake, England toyed with the idea of playing the match, but ultimately bowed to calls from England to go ahead with the boycott. This effectively handed Zimbabwe the win which sent them into the knockout stages of the tournament just two points ahead of England.

Zimbabwean players also had their fair share of courting controversy. Senior players, Henry Olonga and Heath Streak wore black armbands in their first match of the tournament in protest to what they called ‘the death of democracy in Zimbabwe’. Both players retired from international cricket after the tournament to play in England, at a press conference Olonga said that continuing would be condoning the grotesque human rights violations that have been perpetrated, and continue to be perpetrated, against his fellow countrymen.

This in itself was a significant blow to cricket in Zimbabwe because both Streak and Olonga retired at the height of their powers where Streak was rated among the world’s top fast bowlers.

Andy Flower, who a year before toped the ICC Rankings for test batsmen, also hung up his gloves soon thereafter, leaving Zimbabwe with a void in its cricket which would take almost a decade to rectify.

With the inclusive government of national unity, the political situation in the country has regained some measure of stability, so the ICC felt that it was time to re-introduce the nation into the longer version of the game.

Now under the guidance of former English county player Alan Butcher and the leadership of veteran all-rounder Brendan Taylor, a new dawn for Zimbabwe cricket might be on the horizon.

Zimbabwe managed to beat Bangladesh in their first test match in over six years during the one off test between the nations at the Harare Sports Club in August this year. Hamilton Masakadza scored his first century in ten years during the first innings while debutant Brian Vitori took 4/66 during Bangladesh’s first batting innings. Taylor was named man of the match with a cleverly played 71 in the first innings and a masterful 105 in the second innings.

Zimbabwe then had to negate a one off test against Pakistan at the Queens Sport Club in Bulawayo.

Making his test debut at the Queens Sport Club, Zimbabwean batsman Tirotenda Mawoyo scored 163 while veteran gloveman Tatenda Taibu scored 58 in Zimbabwe’s second innings.

Not much was expected of a relatively young Zimbabwe team who has no test experience. Their win against Bangladesh proved that the likes of the Asian team and West Indies could find themselves staring down the barrel of a loaded gun which could halt any plans they may have in terms of ‘easy series’. The loss against Pakistan was predictable in that although they are effectively ‘homeless’ they are able to produce results which prove that they are one of the top test playing nations in the world.

The key for Zimbabwe is that they don’t lose heart and continue their new journey into international cricket despite what the future holds in terms of results. With more bilateral series during gaps in the ICC Future Tours Programme, South Africa could play a significant role in the revival of Zimbabwe. The inclusion of Zimbabwe in the domestic SuperSport Series could also be a way in which cricket in Zimbabwe could find itself on a road to recovery.

Brian Vitori proved that the ICC made the right decision to re-introduce Zimbabwe into Test cricket

South African tennis star shoots up rankings in an amazing year

Published in: The Witness 18 November

From humble beginnings in Harrismith, to Florida and the competitive hustle and bustle of the women’s professional tennis circuit. South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers has come a long way in establishing herself as a household name.

 And as she said the end is not in sight.

Scheepers was recently in Pietermaritzburg catching up on some a rest and recuperation, mixed with light training with her coach Roger Anderson, before embarking on an intensive training regime in Florida ahead of the first Grand slam tournament of 2012, the Australian Open in January.

Her love for tennis evident, and was instilled in her from an early age.

“I grew up into a tennis family; my mom was a provincial tennis player for the former Transvaal. My dad was a professional tennis coach, and from about the age of four or five I remember my parents playing a lot of social tennis on the weekends. I gravitated into tennis rather than being forced into it. Because of that I really love the game and was top of most of the age divisions I played in,” said Scheepers.

Scheepers grew up admiring former tennis great Steffi Graff who dominated woman’s tennis for close to 20 years. And then Scheepers naturally admired Amanda Coetzer, who was ranked the third best player in the world in 1997.

Scheepers is currently ranked number 37 in the world, which was an ambition of hers at the beginning of the year. In order to achieve this, Scheepers had to make improvements to her game.

She achieved this with the help of her coach Roger Anderson, who is a resident of Pietermaritzburg.

“Women’s tennis has become very physical, it’s closing the gap quite rapidly between itself and the men’s game. Courts have become a lot slower and balls have become heavier. Because of this, players have had to become much fitter. This means that players really have to work hard for winning points in matches. Also, top players can’t cruise through the preliminary rounds of a tournament. There is no such thing as an easy game today,” says Anderson.

The main improvements to Scheepers game was to her serve and to her forehand. Anderson also focused a lot on her fitness.

And this showed. At the 2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open, which Scheepers won, four out her five matches lasted over three hours, which is unheard of in the women’s game.

Scheepers feels that she has the game to be a top 20 player, which is an ambition she hopes to achieve by the end of 2012.

However, this will be difficult without a sponsor.

Scheepers reports that this is an ongoing problem in South Africa where sponsors favor rugby, cricket and soccer ahead of tennis.

“South Africa has always been recognized as having talented juniors, yet most of them get lost in the system and don’t reach their full potential. South African players also mature a lot later then the Russian and US players do because there are not a lot of high profile tournaments here. The future of South African tennis is bright, provided they resolve the funding issue and they get a lot more high profile tournaments in the country,” says Scheepers.

And it may be as simple as sponsors changing mindsets. The appeal of rugby, cricket and soccer is that success is immediate, whereas tennis requires a long term investment in a player who may only reach the height of their game after five or six years of competition.

Anderson adds that this is currently the case with Scheepers who is at the top of her game, without a sponsor. 

“Scheepers started the year ranked 107 in the world. Her climb to her current ranking makes her the biggest climber of the year. Sponsors should recognize this,” said Anderson.

Although only 27, Scheepers says that tennis will always be a part of her life, even after retirement.

“There is scope in South Africa for mentors to guide young players into the rigors of the game, coaching tips, the mental aspect of the game, the financial aspect of the game and raising their publicity,” says Scheepers. The majority of these mentors would be past players, or coaches who have worked with the likes of Coetzer and Scheepers.

Anderson feels that this is a long way off  and the fact that Scheepers is at the top of her game is important to survive on the women’s circuit today.

“The women’s circuit is very competitive with the gap between Scheepers and world number five Li Na being very short. We also don’t see your dominators as we saw with Graff and Martina Navratilova. The fall of the Williams sisters, and to a lesser extent Maria Sharapova, has left the rankings wide open with a lot of players out to claim top spot,” said Anderson.

But the Williams sisters and Sharapova are still major draw cards to Grand Slam tournaments.

“The better young players in the world tend to fly under the radar in Grand Slam tournaments because all of the focus is on a Serena Williams or Sharapova. And then when these players make it to the final people question how she got there. But tennis would not be the same without characters like the Williams or Sharapova,” said Scheepers.

Scheepers rise in the rankings has been phenomenal in 2011 and Anderson hopes to expect the same for her in 2012, her fighting spirit and willingness to adapt her game shows a work ethic which South African tennis has not seen since Coetzer. And the sky is the limit for Scheepers. Current world number one Caroline Wozniacki holds the position without winnings a Grand Slam tournament. 

Scheepers is the largest climber in the women's world rankings ending the year  number 35 in the world. 

Community support for rising star helps to achieve dreams

Published: Weekend Witness November 2011

The recent tour of Australia to South Africa has once again reinvigorated peoples interest in the longer version of the game. This was mainly because of gritty performances by the least likely candidates for both sides. But the name on the public’s lips at the moment is that of Vernon Philander.

Since the retirement of Sean Pollock from test Cricket, the Protea’s bowling attack has been seemingly lacking balance without a third pace bowler to back up Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Since then national selectors have turned to no less than three possible candidates in three years, all of which were unimpressive.

Meanwhile, Philander, a forgotten man of South African cricket, was returning to his best form in all versions of the game, particularly in the longer verison. In the past two seasons he has ended the SuperSport Series as the tournament’s top wicket taker with a miserly average close to that of Pollock’s.

Because of this, he was given his chance to shine at Newlands where he played in his debut test against the touring Australians. He bowled impressively in the first innings pitching the ball on a good length at a pace which troubled the batsmen. He took 3/63 in the first innings with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting saying that he will take a lot of wickets in his career.

He didn’t have to wait long to realize this. In what was a remarkable second day of the test, South Africa bowled Australia out for 47, with Philander stealing the show finishing with 5/15.

This was one of the best performances by a South African player on debut, but Philander said that there was a risk of the occasion getting to him.

“There were so many emotions going through me at the time. I really had to calm myself down and concentrate on taking another wicket. I must say, the goose bumps I got during that second innings was an awesome feeling, I was tempted to pinch myself to see if it was real on a number of occasions,” said Philander.

He was a major contributor to South Africa winning that test and was labeled as a key player to South Africa’s ambitions of winning their first home series against Australia in almost 30 years. At the Wanderers, on a hard pitch that favored batsmen Philander only took 1/47 in the first innings but improved in the second innings taking 5/70. It was this performance which secured him the man of the series award.

“I knew I would do well in Test cricket, but I didn’t expect to finish the series as the top wicket taker and the man of the series. It’s a bit surreal,” he said.

Philander was brought up in Belville in the Western Cape and cricket always played a significant role in his life. He added that from an early age street cricket would be a way to keep youths busy and away from criminal elements which is an unfortunate fact of life among youths in the area.

“I have fond memories of my youth in Belville. On Sundays, when the streets were quiet, all of the parents would sit outside and cheer us on. So it feels like I have been playing cricket in front of big crowds from the time I was six or seven,” said Philader.

But the close knit community did their best to support young men like Philander and it was this support which he said helped him through his rollercoaster journey as a cricketer.

“I always used to sit in the back of the class and look out of the window thinking that one day I will play for South Africa at Newlands. But if my marks were no good enough my mom brought me back down to earth very quickly,” he said.

He represented South Africa at Under 19 level in 2003 and was one of leading wicket takers in the world at that level. He performed well in all formats and was eventually drafted into the Protea’s limited overs side where he took four wickets on debut against Ireland in 2007. From there he went on to be a regular feature in both ODI and Twenty20 cricket.

He struggled for from and picked up significant weight in 2008 and was dropped from the Proteas squad because of the rise of Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Determined to make a comeback he went back to Belville and worked hard to lose his excess weight and remodeled his action.

“If it wasn’t for the support of my family and the community, I would never have had the confidence and heart to achieve what I did,” said Philander.

Cobras coach Richard Pybus encouraged Philander further by constantly telling him to keep on taking wickets, eventually he will attract the attention of the right people.

Now that he is in the Test team, Philander said that his task is firmly set on establishing himself as a mainstay of South African cricket.

“I am hoping to have a good series against Sri Lanka. They don’t like pace bowling especially on wickets with a lot of juice in them like the South African wickets have. Maybe now I can use my short ball which I couldn’t use against Australia. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

He has noted that his performances have garnered a lot of media attention and public interest, which is welcome, but needs to be managed.

“Sometimes I just need to zone out. Music is a big help in this regard, I’m a big fan of rap and R&B music. It gets me pumped up and ready to take on the world,” he said. He added that he also likes to watch light hearted comedy movies to take his mind off things.  

With Parnell, Tsotsobe and Ryan McLaren all eager to make comebacks in the Test team, Philander has a fight on his hands to establish himself as a regular in the Proteas set up. But with performances like those that he put in against Australia, one fancies that contenders will have their hands full trying to take his position away from him. 

Philander used to sit at the back of the class dreaming to play for South Africa at Newlands

Durban swimmer reaches for gold

Published: Weekend Witness November 2011

After exceptional performances in 2011, there is a lot of hype being built up around Durban based swimming prodigy Chad le Clos with some tipping him to win an Olympic medal in next year’s London Olympics.

But he said that it was not always about the pool. He pointed out that when he was younger he was very focused on football.

“I really enjoyed football when I was in primary school. I was really keen on the sport and thought I could pursue that when I left school. I played in the country districts first team up until I sustained a really bad groin injury which put a halt to those plans,” he said.

When he was not on the football pitch, he was in the pool. And up until the age of 13 he was swimming purely for enjoyment with no thoughts of the competitive side of the sport.

“If was not for a family friend, who with my grandfather founded engineering firm Bearing Man, I would not be as focused as I am today swimming. Greg Till saw something in me and sponsored my dad and myself to go to England and participate in a number of meetings there,” he said.

After that, Le Clos said that he really started to see the belief that everyone had in him for himself.

After coming back from England, he joined up with his coach Graham Hill who has coached a number of top South African swimmers.

Le Clos attended Westville Boys High and concentrated solely on swimming from the age of 14 and dominated every age division he participated in before graduating last year.

Fresh out of high school, Le Clos was unsure how he would fair in the world of senior swimming.

While still at school he won two gold medals in last year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi. And he recently dominated this year’s Fina World Cup where he won 23 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and two bronze medals.

He also became the third South African to win the overall Fina World Cup Series championship title.

Le Clos initially went into the circuit hoping for a top three finish, but after the first few legs he knew the win was possible.

“When I started off in Dubai I was kind of hoping for a top three finish in the overall standings because I would be participating in all of the legs. After getting six gold medals in Dubai, I realised that I had the advantage,” he said.

He added that he certainly did not expect to beat Olympic greats Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps on his way to winning the title. But he is humble about his victories, and with good reasons.

“Although I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that I beat Phelps and Thorpe, who I admired growing up, you can’t read too much into the fact that I beat them. Swimmers who are older pick and choose the events that they participate in and won’t swim in every World Cup meeting. And swimmers like Phelps and Thorpe save their best for big events like the World Championships and the Olympics. So I am expecting them to be my main competitors in June next year,” said Le Clos.

South Africa has a long tradition of producing world class swimmers, but Le Clos hopes that the new generation will be remembered for their own achievements rather than being compared to other swimmers.

“Hopefully South Africa will remember me for my own achievements. I am also aiming to achieve unique things. I feel that the future is bright, but I also do not know what it holds,” said Le Clos.

Le Clos added that anything short of a podium finish in London will be a disappointment for him. “Key for me ahead of the games is to stay healthy and focused. It is easy get caught up in all the hype and expectation around your performances and form. I do appreciate the support, but I need to stay focused and not let it get to me,” said Le Clos.

Helping him on this journey is his dad who Le Clos describes as his closest confidant.

“The support I have gotten from my dad is amazing. He is not only my agent, but he has been through a lot in his life and gives me a lot of advice about life outside of swimming,” said Le Clos.

He added that the two are at times inseparable as they go out a lot and spend a lot of time participating in social activities that any other teenager would do with his friends.

“I don’t have a lot of friends, and the ones that I do have come from swimming so they understand the sacrifices that I need to make on a day to day basis. It is very hard at times when I want to be a teenager, but I now have to be responsible and act in a mature manner,” he said.

He added that if he did not have the support of his family and coach, he would not have been able to cope with the roller coaster time that he has had over the past two years, and with the anticipation growing around him and possible Olympic glory, he feels that the ride is far from over.

Football was Le Clos' first love in high school, swimming was reduced to an afterthought.