Shane must have done it to be trim, nothing more

In recent years I have done some consultancy cricket coaching in Harare; some of my happiest and most rewarding moments in cricket coaching have been spent there and the desire to learn within these groups is as great as I have known anywhere.

While it hasn’t surprised me that England have decided not to go to Zimbabwe, the Warne situation and the racial abuse charge against Pakistan’s Rashid Latif certainly have.

Sledging of all styles has been with us for ever, but the practice has obviously escalated in the last decade or so and highlighted because of insistent and unending TV replays.

While many countries would like to suggest that their players don’t do it and Australia is the great offender, I can assure you every country does have its sledgers.

I personally have been very disappointed about Australia’s attitude in this area and am happy to see something being done about it. Australia probably get into more trouble because they are very open with it and will admit guilt, as Darren Lehmann did when he was charged with racial abuse in Sydney recently.

Not all countries are as open and honest and more cunning as they direct their sledging from behind the helmet or out of the side of their mouths. Some of the most respected world cricketers have done this for years without the public being aware they are serial sledgers.

Just what Shane Warne was up to I can’t fathom. I can’t imagine Shane ever using performance-enhancing drugs for he has so much talent he really doesn’t need outside help. I can appreciate, however, his trying to stay slim. Shane was very pleased with his new slim shape and enjoyed the publicity that went with it.

When he injured his shoulder he must have known he wouldn’t be as active as usual and this would have affected his new trim shape. I can believe he would try a ‘pill’ if he thought it would achieve results without the hard work of previous months. What I can’t come to terms with is his stupid carelessness in not checking the substance out.

All sportsmen these days are very aware of the drug problem and are continually being reminded to check out just what is in any tablet they may take. Carelessness is no excuse and if Shane has taken a banned drug, he will have to be penalised.

Not everything, however, has been bad in Africa. We have seen some good cricket and surprise results. What I have been most pleased about is the excellent standards of the pitches. There has been some concern that South Africa might leave more grass on the pitches to favour their bowlers.

This has not been the case and from what I have seen so far they have all been good one-day wickets. It’s still not clear which teams will go through into the Super Six. Most of the top teams have lost an early match. In addition injury or other events are sure also to play their part.

Jonty Rhodes’s broken hand is a major blow to the host nation. Jonty is their inspiration and his fielding and the lift it gives to the team will be sadly missed.

As will his batting, for he is about the only South African with the adaptability to change his method to suit different circumstances. He is also the finest runner between wickets in the world and he will be missed badly in this area.

Pakistan had a great chance to beat Australia in their opening encounter.

But I don’t think they have the depth, particularly in their bowling, to be a major threat. On paper they look as though they have a good line-up, but their aging warriors Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram are not the bowlers they were.

This was obvious, and with Australia on the ropes, Pakistan bowlers just couldn’t get the breakthrough to bowl them out or even restrict them to a reasonable score.

India still remain somewhat of a mystery and even at this late stage can’t seem to settle on a consistent line up. Personally, with India’s batting woes, I would like to see Tendulkar and Sehwag return to their rightful batting positions, the ones they occupy in Test cricket. Australia picked up the points in the first match of the series against Pakistan without Shane Warne. Whether they will be able to do it consistently is open to conjecture. Second favourites South Africa will be delighted, as he has been their nemesis for many years.

Australia will be forced to experiment with the various combinations to come up with the best format to meet the changing circumstances. Andrew Symonds’s magnificent century against Pakistan will assist greatly. Symonds is one of the most talented players in Australia.

Unfortunately due to his power and fearsome hitting he was destined as a one-day specialist and advised to hit the cover off every ball. This advice I believe delayed his progress and threatened to finish his career.

As it was delivered to him in his developing years he didn’t have the capacity or experience to fulfill what was an impossible task. Hopefully his wonderful innings in Pakistan will have shown him he is just not a pinch hitter. (Gameplan)