Beware of KingsmeadThough the world cup has no drop-in pitches, one venue which will create interest is Kingsmead in Durban. There has been much criticism of the last three summers about the irregular bounce. It is where India play England (depending whether the old Raj masters now led by Tony Blair want Nasser Hussain to actually turn up to the event) on February 26 and is also one of the semi-final venues.When India last played an international on the African shores of the Indian Ocean, they lost to South African in the Standard Bank final by six wickets. Sourav Ganguly lost the toss and the bounce undid the batsmen. Later in the summer, the pitch went flat in March when South Africa, having been pulverised by Australia in the previous five Tests, went ion to beat Steve Waugh’s side. It suggests, says Hilbert Smit, that Kingsmead might be more batsman-friendly in the latter part of the season than early on when generally the heat and humidity of a place like Durban can have on a surface. It also livens up at night as the conditions sweat.Yet Kingsmead also has another reputation, that of being a fast bowler’s paradise. A little rain and heavy conditions can create such a problem for sides not used to Durban’s strange climate. One of the areas of concern is that Kingsmead has had, because of the World Cup, a lot more traffic in the first half of the summer than usual. Whether it will settle down before the World Cup is another matter.The Test between South African and Pakistan, which barely lasted four days, showed nothing other than dropping catches to prolong South Africa’s first innings. The ODI between the two sides saw the Pakistan batsmen in serious trouble at times. Yet the bouncy surface which had been predicted did not materialise and generally run-scoring by Pakistan was laboured. It might spell danger for the sub-continent sides, it might not. What could be more interesting is how England’s batsmen handle the conditions. Since South Africa’s return from isolation, few touring sides have handled the conditions at Kingsmead as well as Australia, and that might be the answer to the conundrum of what overseas teams handle the bouncy surfaces best. It is going to be an interesting test of batting abilities.A Batting ParadiseSmit, who handles the SuperSport Park venue in Centurion, has overseen the venue and its pitch development since the ground was opened in September 1987 and admits that one of the challenges is producing a true batting surface where the bounce will give both sides a chance. It has become a venue long recognised for its high-scoring matches because of the way the ball comes on to the bat.It has also made Centurion the most popular ground in South Africa and on March 1 the big South Asia clash sees India playing Pakistan in what should be the most enthralling game of the preliminary round. What will also create a major interest is India’s second match of the tournament, against Australia.The way Smit sees it, Centurion is the one venue where most teams want to play because it gives both sides a chance and with all the games being day matches, it will create a special carnival atmosphere on the banks of the Hennops River.WICKET TALKChandresh Narayanan speaks to two fearsome South African fast bowlers of their time - Fannie de Villiers and Craig Matthews - on what lies in store for Indians on the wickets during the 2003 World Cup.No problem for Sachin: Matthews THE scepticism about the South African pitches among the Asian teams is quite understandable. One just needs to check the record of the sub-continental teams on these pitches. The best batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar is a perfect example of this problem. He averages around 71 in one-dayers in India and England (which have similar conditions), whereas in Australia and South Africa it nosedives to 44. Now if the best batsman in the world can struggle then think about the others. For the quick bowler to do well in the World Cup, the length needs to be ideally much shorter than elsewhere, maybe a metre and a half. Besides the variation in pace and the use of the crease will be the key for the Indian bowlers.
