Indians can feel at home in England with local supportLONDON: England will feel like a home away from home for Asian teams, with Mohammed Azharuddin's Indian team likely to be the chief benefactors of local support.India are the only team among the 12 competing in the cricket World Cup whose five preliminary-league matches were sold out in March. Even England have some tickets left for their match against rank outsiders Kenya.The reason ? Around 900,000 people of Indian origin live in Britain, higher than any competing nation barring England and Scotland. Pakistan has a population here of 600,000, while the Caribbean are third with 500,000.Bangladesh, too, will have ample support in their maiden World Cup appearance, with 200,000 people supporting them.SA spies keep team posted on othersLONDON: South Africa have stolen a march on their rivals by employing a string of spies to evaluate other teams.Coach Bob Woolmer said every warm-up match played by the opposition in the last fewdays had been watched by the South Africans.The man following India, South Africa's rivals in their first match at Hove on Saturday, is former Test captain and all-rounder Clive Rice.Woolmer, an Englishman and regarded as one of the most innovative coaches in the game, refused to say who his other spies were.England's chief selector David Graveney, asked whether his team employed spies, said: ``No, we speak to the captain of the county team on the phone. They can tell us what's going on.''When India almost got the Don homeIndian hospitality is legendary. And when it is extended to legend, it reaches new heights. When cricket's greatest event came to the sub-continent, in 1987, the organisers thought of extending an invitation to the greatest cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman, himself. The cricketing diplomat NKP Salve was entrusted the task of wooing Sir Don to India. Salve took a trip to the cricketing shrine in Adelaide, with the hope of hosting the master batsman. As luck would have it,Lady Bradman was not in the best of health and the legend turned down the invitation gracefully. Salve even promised a 24-hour personal doctor for the aging couple from the time they left their home but Bradman's strong defence failed to fall. Had the visit materialised, it would have been the first World Cup match which the Don would have seen live.Hadlee an excuse to stay away Sir Richard Hadlee, too, turned his back to the Reliance Cup of 1987. He gave a list of reasons for his decision not to play. Injury, wife's illness, wrong scheduling of the World Cup and ``I want a break'' among others. But the one that took the cake was "What's a World Cup without Ian Botham, David Gower, Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge, Joel Garner . (all had skipper the event).''One from the heart of an AustralianA straight from the heart advice by a leading Australian cardiologist to his patients before the 1992 England-Pakistan final was - stay away from cricket. And the World Cup case history showed thatthe doctor had gauged the pulse right. During the pulsating New Zealand-Pakistan semi-final when Salim Malik departed to the pavilion, so did an agonised soul of a Pakistani fan.The faint-hearted supporter missed out on Inzaman-ul-Haq's heroics and an eventual Pakistan win. - Compiled by Tushar Trivedi, Sandeep Dwivedi
