FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, at Harare
MAJOR TEAMS: Mashonaland A, Zimbabwe Board XI. Current club team:Old Georgians
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast Medium
OCCUPATION: General Manager, Mashonaland Cricket Association
FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: ZCU President’s XI v Indians, at Sunrise SportsClub, 2-4 October 1998
TEST DEBUT: Awaited
ODI DEBUT: 4 January 2001; Zimbabwe v New Zealand, at Wellington
BIOGRAPHY (updated January 2003)Gus Mackay is an unusual cricketer in that he did not make his first-class debut until the age of 31, and after that he went on to represent his country in three one-day internationals. There is little unusual, merely consistent, in his accurate seam bowling, but his batting in the lower middle order is scarcely common, either: many who have seen him bat declare they have never seen a more powerful striker of the ball.There was mild surprise in both local English and Zimbabwean cricket circles in 1998 when it was learned that Gus, a prominent Midlands cricketer, after eight years in that area, was returning home to Zimbabwe and hoped to win a place in that country’s team for the World Cup. Unfortunately Gus perhaps left the return a little too late in his career, as the Zimbabwean selectors were looking more at younger players, but he did play one-day cricket for Zimbabwe in Australia and New Zealand, and re-established himself as a leading player in Zimbabwean cricket.Gus is a player ideally suited to one-day cricket, and a valuable performer in the longer game as well. He is a powerful hitter, especially straight, and is especially severe on overpitched deliveries, as well as a dangerous new-ball bowler of good line and length with a habit of achieving an early break-through. Had he not spent eight years of his prime overseas, he could well have enjoyed a more profitable international career for Zimbabwe. Even now, at the age of 35, he might well have bolstered the Zimbabwe team in the last year or two with an accuracy and economy that most younger players do not possess.Like many other leading Zimbabwe cricketers, Gus enjoyed the advantage of a strong family background in cricket. His father Alan played Districts cricket for Bindura and Glendale for years, and began a love of the game in his three sons, of whom Gus is the youngest. When young he played frequently with his brothers and began to develop his skills at home.He first attended Marlborough Junior School in Harare, commuting in from the farm each day, and played in the team there at all levels, but he does not remember any outstanding performances. At this early stage he was already primarily a bowler and it was only later that he developed his batting skills.He progressed to Marlborough High School for three years as a boarder, where he received a lot of quality coaching from George Goodwin, father of Test player Murray, and this was when his game really began to develop. He played in the first team for each age-group there. In the main, though, Gus has been largely a self-taught cricketer who set his own goals and worked extremely hard to achieve them. "I wanted to do it myself and just worked hard at my game," he says.After three years Gus moved to Plumtree High School, southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland, where Mike Whiley as headmaster, Mike Cummings and Neil Todd were coaches. He was in the school first team during all his three years at Plumtree, captaining the team in his final year. In his very first match he took five wickets for nine runs against Chaplin School, Gweru, and never looked back. He hit a couple of fifties during his time there, in the middle order, as he was now working harder on his batting – one against Milton in Bulawayo, he remembers. He also played for Matabeleland Schools and went on the Zimbabwe Colts tour to England in 1984, before representing Zimbabwe Schools in his final two school years. He was also a keen rugby player for the Plumtree first eleven.Gus played no adult club cricket while at Plumtree, but on his return to Harare played a season for Harare Sports Club before moving to Old Georgians to get more opportunities. At Sports Club he played alongside such players as Andy Pycroft, John Traicos, Kevin Curran and Grant Paterson, with whom he enjoyed playing and who helped him a lot, but he felt his chances were restricted there and moved. He played for Mashonaland in the Logan Cup before it became a first-class competition, and became a well-known Districts player when he was not in England. He represented Zimbabwe Country Districts in one-day matches against touring teams from England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand during the eighties.After leaving school he returned to work on the family farm, and in 1986 went over to England to spend a year playing for Essex second eleven, but without great success. On his return he suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from returning until 1989, when he played for Barnt Green in the Midlands. When he returned there the following year, it was to be another eight years before he returned to Zimbabwe for good. He always thought of Zimbabwe as home and kept his Zimbabwean passport so he was free to return when he felt like doing so.He continued to play for Barnt Green for two years before moving to West Bromwich Dartmouth in the Birmingham League, and then returned to Barnt Green as captain. He also played matches for MCC, having been invited to join as a playing member by the former Oxford University Blue Giles Toogood, and this included a tour to Bangladesh. In his time there he also represented the England amateur team, the ECB eleven, for one season and the Midlands Club Cricket Conference. His best performances included an innings of 105 for Barnt Green against West Bromwich Dartmouth and an analysis of seven for 40 in another match.He made plenty of friends over there, including many on the playing staffs of the Warwickshire and Worcestershire county teams. The league cricket he played in is semi-professional and he feels it is of a very high standard. When he took over as general manager of Mashonaland cricket, he immediately introduced their league regulations, which is not strict limited-overs cricket but allows for `winning’ or `losing’ draws, to replace the 50-over limitation that was used in the Mashonaland Vigne Cup competition.To earn a living he joined the financial world, working for the Royal Bank of Scotland and then as a finance broker. When he returned to Zimbabwe he continued this line of business and became manager of the finance house UDC’s agricultural division in Harare.In June 1998 he decided to return to Zimbabwe with his English wife Clare, as he had always intended sooner or later. He immediately set his sights on gaining a place in the national side, but probably his age of 31 was an obstacle in the minds of the selectors, despite a most successful season. He rejoined Old Georgians, and was to be elected captain in his second season there. He had already spoken to Alistair Campbell, then national captain, about his return, and had particular encouragement from Andy and Grant Flower to give it a try.Gus has always enjoyed playing for Old Georgians, although the club has had some trying times recently, and Gus himself has done much to keep them going, being instrumental among other things in obtaining sponsorship for the club from Ray-ban Sunglasses for the 1999/2000 season. He proved himself a dynamic leader on the field, although not universally popular, as some regard him as too intense and intolerant of failure, whether his own or those of others.He was soon given a chance to show his worth, making his first-class debut for a ZCU President’s XI against the touring Indian team, but without success. He did better in his first Logan Cup match for Mashonaland A; playing against Matabeleland he hammered 35 off 21 balls, including four sixes, and took six wickets in the match, although his team lost in the end. For a President’s XI against England A he hit 44 off 38 balls (four fours, two sixes) and took two wickets, but was not selected for the Zimbabwe A team or for the World Cup team.He did win selection for the Zimbabwe Board XI, firstly for the one-day side against Gauteng, and then in the three-day match against Namibia. In 1999/2000 he took over as captain from Trevor Penney, frequently took valuable wickets opening the bowling and also opened the batting in one-day matches, often with telling if brief effect. He scored a fifty against KwaZulu-Natal in their three-day match.The highlight of his career came late in 2000, when he was called upon to join the Zimbabwe team in New Zealand and Australia, mainly with a view to the one-day tournaments. He played in three one-day internationals altogether, but without much luck: thanks to one or two missed catches, he did not take a wicket, and neither did he get to bat, despite his well-known ability to score at generally better than a run a ball even at first-class level. The cricket world may never know whether his powerful hitting would have succeeded against bowlers of the highest order.He has not represented Zimbabwe since, with the selectors preferring youth to experience, even if that youth cannot produce the pressure and accuracy with the new ball that Gus can. But in domestic cricket other highlights were to come. As captain of Mashonaland, he opened the 2001/02 Logan Cup season with a devastating century against Matabeleland at Bulawayo Athletic Club. It was an inexperienced attack, but it was still no mean achievement to reach three figures off only 45 balls, the fastest known century in first-class cricket in Zimbabwe, while his ten sixes were also a Zimbabwean record. He took 19 wickets in the five matches at an average of 24, showing great consistency.Before the start of the 2002/03 season, during which Gus was to continue as a bowler with perhaps reduced pace but with great economy, it was decided to appoint general managers of Zimbabwe’s four main provinces. Gus decided his heart lay with cricket rather than the world of finance; he applied for the Mashonaland job and was successful.He immediately started to transform an administration that had gained the reputation of being stagnant into a dynamic, forward-looking unit. He won an excellent sponsorship deal from P.G. Timbers for the Mashonaland team and also the Vigne Cup, and as was mentioned earlier revamped the competition.Comparing his experiences in Zimbabwe with those in England, Gus prefers batting in Zimbabwe as the ball comes on to the bat better, but bowling is more difficult as the pitches are flatter and it becomes more of a priority to bowl to a good line and length. He feels his game has continued to develop well since his return to Zimbabwe, that he has bowled well, especially for the Zimbabwe Board XI, and that his batting has progressed considerably. He is keeping himself fitter in the knowledge that he is growing older, but he is nevertheless still improving. He would love to play international cricket again, but realizes that it is now unlikely, although few doubt he would do himself justice were he selected.Regarding his batting, he says, "I just try to hit the ball straight and hit it hard." Perhaps only Old Georgians team-mate Craig Evans can rival Gus in the power he puts into his hitting. His highest score any class of cricket is 113, scored for Old Georgians against Old Miltonians in Bulawayo back in 1986/87. His best bowling figures are seven for about 40 in the Birmingham League.Gus is now living in Harare with his wife Clare and a young son, and plays golf for recreation.

Vidarbha were struggling to stay afloat after the second day’s play at the Ranji Trophy plate group semi-final tie against Karnataka at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.Winning the toss, Karnataka opted to have first strike and racked up 364 runs before they were finally bowled out midway through the second day. Opener Barrington Rowland struck a fine 124 off 306 balls (16 fours), anchoring the innings and enabling batsmen like Vijay Bharadwaj to play around him.Bharadwaj himself made 78 (219b, 12 fours), and a late surge from Dodda Ganesh (40, 83 balls, three fours, two sixes) saw Karnataka reach an imposing first-innings total. For Vidarbha, Chandrasekhar Atram and Pritam Gandhe took three wickets apiece.Setting out in pursuit, Vidarbha contrived to lose wickets at regular intervals, and no batsman looked settled against Karnataka’s bowlers. Dodda Ganesh bowled an incisive first spell for two wickets, while left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi kept things tight later in the innings and picked up three scalps in the process.Vidarbha ended the second day on 129 for six, off 42.1 overs, still 235 runs in arrears and with only four wickets in hand. It will take a superlative effort for the hosts to come back in this knock-out game.

The dreams and aspirations of the chief host nation lie in shambles after the shocking exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. The South African team has not only disgraced themselves by turning up such a dismal performance but also slapped the faces of millions of supporters of the national team.World Cup 2003 has turned out to be a cup of misery for this rainbow nation. The promises made by the South African team have gone with the wind and rain. Not to mention the few who wanted to dedicate the World Cup to a fallen hero. Let alone winning the World Cup, South Africa now have been left with the ignominy of watching the minnows Kenya in the Super Sixes.Let us face the truth boldly, this World Cup campaign was not lost due to rain and Duckworth/Lewis method. South Africa are victims of their own mediocre cricket. It seems the early warnings were ignored. The appalling performance against India in the ICCCT semi-final at Colombo failed to open the eyes. Maybe some found comfort in having the dreadful tag of being eternal chokers of world cricket.There will be a million questions asked across this country – which was gripped by cricket fever, even before the World Cup started. A post mortem of South African cricket will reveal a lot of answers. It will take a very sincere endeavour from the part of the South African board to set things right for South Africa to have a realistic chance in the next World Cup in four years time.A closer examination of the strategy and the planning for this World Cup exposes a few myths about this South African team. For starters, let us look at the slow over rate. They were docked one over in the opening encounter of this World Cup, which was instrumental in them losing to West Indies.Arriving in Durban for an even more crucial game, after telling all, “We will have to look at our over rate” the South Africans were once again guilty of the same offence. At the end of the innings the bowlers had to run off shortened run-ups, and others, who had been bowling seamers, had to resort to off-cutters.Thanks to the leniency of match referee Clive Lloyd they somehow escaped punishment for finishing nine minutes outside the time limit.It is easy to pass comment in retrospect, but certain areas of the South African performance lacks professionalism and application. Surely after the first hour the captain should be in a position to asses the over rate. To realise that they are once again in trouble after nearly three hours into the innings speaks volumes for the management.Added to this, that no one in the South African dressing room understands or is capable of reading a Duckworth/Lewis printout is beyond understanding. Earlier during the World Cup, the UCBSA president got away with a public apology for some inappropriate behaviour, surely an apology is not an adequate excuse in this case.Bowling 11 wides and five no balls comes as no surprise. At numerous net sessions, the media in attendance have repeatedly asked why bowlers are allowed to continually overstep the line with no one correcting or commenting on this poor practice.The signs of things to come was evident when the South Africans were unable to defend a total of over 300, reduced by Duckworth/Lewis, against New Zealand who had never before beaten South Africa on home turf. The bowling lacked any discipline and penetration, while the body attitude of the senior players spoke of defeat.The selectors should also face the gauntlet. The promise of Alan Donald’s experience being vital for our bowling attack was once again thrown to the dogs. As it happened in the quarterfinal against West Indies in Karachi in the 1996 World Cup, Donald was once again left out of the team for the crucial final group match against Sri Lanka. To throw youth and inexperience into the deep-end, and expect it to come out swimming was always asking for trouble.The selection of Graeme Smith ahead of Andrew Hall in his first match must be questioned. Hall was in the original squad of 15, but with the injury of Jonty Rhodes, Graeme Smith was called up. Surely if Hall was good enough for the original squad then he should have been selected ahead of Smith in a team that was already top heavy in batsmen. The fact that Smith did well is beside the point; Hall just may have given the team an extra option.The attitude of some of the team members also leaves a lot to be desired. Having already been spoken to by Gerald Majola, the verbal abuse that some of the opposing batsmen had to endure goes beyond sportsmanship. Television has given the game great exposure and with effect microphones close to the action, and the ability of most of us being able to lip-read the South Africans must rate as number one in the area of foul-mouthed cricketers.One would have hoped that things could have only got better after `Cronjegate’. But then, the truth stares straight into our eyes – there has been a steady decline, ever since the departure of a coach, a captain, and once again a coach. Surely, South Africa has enough talent to put a team in the Super Six. Let us not blame it on the rain, or the D/L method, it was just a disgraceful show by the South African team. One only hopes that the rainbow nation will have a cricket team that will put the smile back on those millions who support this wonderful game in South Africa.

A slew of runs and as many as four centuries from both side saw the Elite A-Elite C Duleep Trophy tie at the Gymkhana Ground, Secunderabad, drawn after four days play, with Elite C picking five points by virtue of their first-innings lead.Heavy overnight rain delayed the start of the game by a day, as wet ground conditions caused play to be called off at around four in the afternoon, after repeated inspections. The conditions, however, gave Elite C skipper Shiv Sunder Das some hope of help for his fast bowlers, and he elected to bowl after winning the toss.Das’ fast bowlers, however, could not capitalise on the conditions. Daniel Manohar (26) and Sadagopan Ramesh (42) put together 56 runs for the first wicket. The real spine of the Elite A innings, however, lay in centuries from Sridharan Sriram and D Vinay Kumar. The former hit 109 off 201 balls, with 14 fours, while the latter made 125 off 230 balls, with 18 fours and one six.Elite A thus reached 369 before they were bowled out in 120.1 overs, with left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni doing maximum damage for Elite C, taking five for 104 in 40 overs.At 86 for three, it appeared as if Elite A could pull back the match by at least garnering points for the first-innings lead. But Jacob Martin and Pankaj Dharmani added 225 runs for the fourth wicket, Martin scoring 132 off 254 balls (14 fours) and Dharmani making 105 (203b, 11 fours, one six).That stand got Elite C close to the Elite A first-innings score, and despite a collapse thereafter, a few sturdy tail-end contributions enabled Elite C to register 398 before being bowled out. Elite A then played out 7.3 overs aimlessly in their second innings, the draw by then an assured result.

Sekem has renewed agreement to continue as official apparel supplier to the Western Warriors.The agreement sees Sekem providing training gear for the Western Warriors and representative teams and uniforms for the staff of the Dennis Lillee Fast Bowling Academy.The agreement continues the association between Sekem and the WACA through to late 2006.Sekem has 80 years experience in manufacturing and distribution through sporting channels.WACA General Manager of Business Development Mr Darren Beazley said he was delighted to continue the relationship with a Western Australian company in Sekem."Sekem has been invaluable to the WACA in designing, sourcing and marketing licensed merchandise," Mr Beazley said."Sekem will be working closely with the WACA on a new line of supporter clothing for the Western Warriors this year, aimed at increasing opportunities for our fans to show their true colours in supporting our Warriors."Sekem’s Licensing Manager, Mr Lee Bodimeade, said his company was delighted to continue its close partnership with the WACA.”Sekem is very excited to be able to continue its association with the WACA and the Western Warriors for a further three years," Mr Bodimeade said."We at Sekem, pride ourselves on supplying quality sporting apparel to a wide range of Western Australia’s sporting community."Sekem is proud to have its name closely linked with another great West Australian sporting institution.”

Wasim Akram has responded positively to an offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board for a farewell appearance in a one-day international against South Africa later this year. Wasim announced his retirement from international cricket last month.”[Wasim] had given nothing to us in writing and we want to give him a grand sendoff from international cricket,” explained Lt-Gen. Tauqir Zia, the chairman of the PCB. Zia explained that the plan is for Wasim to be included in either the match at Lahore or Karachi: “It would be great to bid him farewell in front of his home crowd.””It’s a nice gesture on the part of PCB,” said Wasim, who turned 37 on Tuesday. “It would be nice to end my career where I started. I wanted to retire by giving the World Cup to my countrymen, but we fared poorly and my dreams were shattered.”I am sure it would be just a one-off match, because I don’t want toblock a youngster’s career,” added Wasim, one of eight senior players omitted from Pakistan’s squad after their first-round exit from the World Cup in March. But it was clear that his ambitions have not yet been entirely fulfilled.”I have heard there are efforts to stage two one-day games between Pakistanand India in September this year. It would be a dream come true if I get onechance against India in Pakistan,” he added in an apparent volte face. “I can’t forget our defeat against India in the World Cup so if I get another chance I will definitely end that with a win.”But the PCB still have their eye on Wasim’s expertise. “We want him to train Pakistani youngsters,” said Zia. “It would not be in our interest that he coach and train in England.”

Waqar Younis, the former Pakistan captain, has publicly criticised Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling performances in the NatWest Challenge.Pakistan failed the challenge 2-1, and Shoaib, who missed the first match while serving a ban for ball-tampering, returned figures of 2 for 69 and 0 for 40 in the last two matches – both of which Pakistan lost.According to a report in The Independent, Waqar didn’t mince his words, coming up with a stinging attack on Shoaib. “It’s ridiculous Shoaib coming out in the papers saying he’s going to do this or do that. He’s been doing it for a few years now and he never lives up to it and it looks pretty ugly. He performs to his ability once a year – and then he has the nerve to compare himself with Glenn McGrath. He was saying last week that if he’d been born Australian, he’d have taken more wickets. It might have been better for Pakistan if he had been born in Australia.”I’ve always helped Shoaib and tried to make him a better bowler, but I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Pace isn’t everything. What’s the point doing 100mph if you can’t put the ball in the right place?”Shoaib thinks he knows it all already – but in cricket you’re always learning. I’m still learning after all these years. Shoaib is a good bowler. I wanted him in the World Cup squad. But he just doesn’t do what he says. He bigs himself up beyond what he’s capable of. He likes to be in the papers and be flash – but he just doesn’t deliver on the field. Look at Friday [the second ODI against England, at The Oval]: it was painful to see the way Pakistan played. It was painful to see the way he was bowling.”Fair enough, you fight and you lose. But he’s always saying, ‘I’m going to do this or I’m going to do that.’ Just bowl, mate. Just stop talking and bowl.” Waqar was responding to an interview where Shoaib attributed Pakistan’s dismal performance in the World Cup to the fact that Waqar and Wasim Akram were “declining forces”.To be fair, Shoaib bowled much better in the last match at Lord’s, but with little luck, something which coach Javed Miandad pointed out in his defence. “He knew he had bowled badly in the second game and he came with me to Lord’s on Saturday voluntarily and bowled for one-and-a-half-hours – it was a different bowler yesterday to the last game.””The past is past,” added Javed. “Everybody has seen here that his behaviour was excellent. He looked like a team man, he was encouraging all the youngsters, he was fighting and trying his best.”While Waqar plays out the rest of the English season with Warwickshire, Shoaib has promised to work wonders for his new county Durham. While Warwickshire are in Division One for both the Championship and National League, Durham are in Division Two for both formats, so it’s probably just as well that they won’t clash.

Gus Logie, the new coach of West Indies, is no stranger to the job. He has coached the national team at the under-15, under-19 and A-team levels, and served as interim coach during the recent home series against Australia and Sri Lanka. An extremely agile fielder during his playing days, Logie is clear about his objective: rebuilding West Indian cricket to its former glory. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo on the telephone, Logie told Nagraj Gollapudi about his new job, the West Indian team, and the state of West Indies cricket in general.How important is this latest appointment to you?
I think it is an important role – not only for me personally, but for West Indies cricket. I have been involved with coaching young people in the Caribbean at different levels of their development – under-15, under-19 and the A team – so I feel that it is a continuation [for me] of providing inputs at the national level. I think it is a great opportunity and hopefully we can make a success out of it in the not-too-distant future.How strong is the young talent in the Caribbean?
We have tremendous young talent, but that talent needs development – not just in cricketing terms, but all-round development. And that is not just in the context of the coach-player relationship, but society, too, has a role to play and so does everyone responsible with cricket in the Caribbean. All the stakeholders need to get on board and make sure that they take the right decisions, create the right environment and the right atmosphere so that our players are developed along the right lines.It’s long been said that the regional coaches are not certified and so the wards who turn up to play are not strong in their fundamentals. Do you agree with that?
I don’t believe in that. We didn’t have certified or qualified coaches when West Indies produced great players in the past. In this advanced age, it is a global village now and all the information is there for everyone to look at. You can’t just have only one specific individual in one area. During my time, a village individual who knew something about coaching used to spend time with us [the players], read us some coaching books and help us along, whereas now it’s an open book. Everybody is aware of what is needed and there are players ready to share ideas with the young ones. At the end of the day the retention of what you’ve learnt is very important and for that our education system has to improve. If you show young players ways of doing things and if they can’t retain that knowledge, then we have a problem. We need to improve on all fronts to get the right individuals in place.Viv Richards has blasted coaches in the Caribbean for not properly preparing young cricketers to make the transition from domestic to international level. Do you agree?
I wouldn’t agree or disagree with another player’s opinion. But as a coach, I would like the state of affairs to change and for the coaches to have access to technology. The players keep coming and going in and out of the team so the coach doesn’t have a player for an extended length of time. For example, a bunch of 14 or 15 is selected to play a tournament for a period of four to five weeks; but then, as coach, I don’t have enough information on a player of what he did at the school-level or club-level, as here in the Caribbean we don’t monitor a player’s history. So at the end of the day whatever information is collected about a player – if he is player of substance – by the coach has to be done in a very short period of time. I wouldn’t blame the coaches.Why do you think West Indies cricket lost its way in the last decade?
I think our economies have shrunk in some ways. At the stage when we were dominating the game, which was a crucial era, our economies were improving. Now we are no longer the best and we need to improve in terms of overall facilities. There’s a lot of criticism in that area – like it’s a fact that we go and play day-and-night games outside, but we can’t even host one day-and-night match in the Caribbean. Why is that? We have been champions for decades and former stars and like-minded people have stressed on the improvement of facilities. The climate here is such that it rains for almost six months of a year in some parts, but there are no indoor facilities for players to train.With the economy on a downswing, there are hardly any facilities one can avail of. The club facilities are limited, and you don’t have access to the gym after a day’s play where you can work out. So you need support from all sectors of society to make sure that youngsters get the best of the facilities, which are around the corner. If that’s not there they cannot go to England where many of our best players competed in the county circuit. Nowadays, there is no one from the Caribbean playing county cricket in England. So a young player will not have the opportunity to develop into a complete professional quickly compared to his predecessors. Something has to be done – of course, it will take time.Then there is the problem of fast bowlers. Why can’t West Indies produce quality quickies anymore?
I don’t think [that is] so. The problem is of pitches, which need to improve to encourage the fast bowlers again. I have seen some young fast bowlers, but it is very difficult to bowl on the kind of pitches that exist in the Caribbean today. This is one area that needs attention. When we look back in the last year we have performed well in Antigua and then in our last Test against Sri Lanka in Jamaica which was a good wicket. Our young pace attack picked up wickets there, which proves that if the wickets are conducive our bowlers can provide the goods.So the pitches have slowed down?
They are becoming a lot slower. I wouldn’t like to say why – whether the soil has got to do something with it or if it is lack of preparation. But we all know that it is an issue which needs to be addressed quickly. It is possible to prepare good tracks that will be helpful to both batsmen and bowlers, as we saw in Jamaica and Antigua. It is something the other Caribbean countries may have to take note of.Is there a pool of young talent from which you can pick when needed?
At this point of time we have Jerome Taylor, who has made a good impression. So has Fidel Edwards, who bowled impressively in his debut Test. Then there are Andrew Richardson, Tino Best, Darren Powell and Ravi Rampal, who has excelled at all levels (Under-15 and Under-19) before showing his heroics in the under-19 World Cup. So there are quite a few youngsters who are good and with continual development programmes I am sure we could have six to seven players waiting in the stable to have a go anytime.What gave you the confidence to go into the Jamaica Test against Sri Lanka with two greenhorns in Edwards and Taylor?
Well, I think when we looked at what had happened in the past we thought that the conditions were ideal to give the two a chance. They were young, enthusiastic, aggressive, fit and they showed their keenness during the practice sessions – all qualities needed in a good bowler, and the captain, coach and the selection committee couldn’t have asked for more. Whatever they lacked in experience they made up for with courage and attitudeHave there been any changes after Richards became the chairman of selectors?
I don’t think at this point of time one can pass judgement across the board, but there have been positives. What we would like is to have more consultations between all parties at the end of the day and Viv’s done a good job in that direction.What do you think about Lara’s captaincy?
He has matured a lot. He is getting more involved with what is happening in and around the team. He is a motivation to younger players and is leading from the front. He has a good rapport with the management.Do you see a revival of the Windies cricket under him?
I certainly see a revival of West Indies cricket – whether it’s under Brian, or by the players. At the end of the day we all have a responsibility where each player needs to support the other. If each one knows what has to be done, is committed to it and the work ethic improves then we need to give credit to all the players about what has happened so far.Gus, you were an extremely good fielder in your time. But the present West Indies lot are a poor fielding unit. How will you improve on that?
There’s no substitute for hard work and going out there and working on your individual skills. Also, in the near future, the WICB should organise more fielding camps where the players can work on the technical skills and concentration levels, as a momentary lapse can cost dearly in a match situation. The players themselves should go out in the ground and throw themselves around, but then the state of the grounds in the Caribbean doesn’t give you that liberty.Do you think the Shell Academy – nursery of West Indies cricket – is serving its purpose?
Certainly. I wouldn’t like to comment [further] at this point of time.West Indies have had seven full-time coaches – all former players – from 1992 until now. What is it that you bring to the job?
All I can do is bring forth my philosophy of cricket – a philosophy we have been successful with, in terms of ensuring a certain level of commitment and work ethic among all team members. It’s important that all players respect one-another and play as a unit. My job will be to create an environment which the players are comfortable with, and one which allows them to play to the best of their abilities. We have seen some positive movement in that regard, and would like to continue to move in that direction.Are you in favour of having assistant coaches?
Oh, yes. I would be happy to have individual coaches, for bowling and batting, or anyone in general as it is very difficult to individually handle 15 players – especially if it is a long tour. And during match days it is really difficult to attend to individual problems so yes, there’s room for an assistant. And there are indications that an assistant will be appointed.

With the clamour for Michael Vaughan to take over the reins of the Test side getting louder and louder, Nasser Hussain admitted that he would consider handing over the leadership duties to Vaughan. In an interview published in the News of the World, Hussain stated that he wanted to step down while England were still winning.”The captaincy is not something I’m going to hang on to. If the selectors ring me tomorrow and say ‘We think Vaughanie’s ready’, that’s fine with me,” Hussain said. “No-one is more pleased than me that Vaughan has done well. I don’t want to hand over after four-and-a-half years and see everything go downhill. I would like to hand over a winning team. Michael is being eased in nicely. Soon, he’ll get the whole lot and he will be raring to go.”Believe me, the time is not far away. Whether it’s two months or a bit longer, someone else will wear the captain’s armband and I have no problem with that. But, at the moment, England are scoring runs, taking wickets, winning Tests and one-dayers with young players that are coming through.”It is better for me to choose the moment than the selectors. It’s all about timing. I’ll know that moment. As Mike Brearley said, when you wake up and you’re no longer England captain, it will hurt.”Hussain, however, said that he wanted to continue till the tour of West Indies next year. “Whatever happens, I’d like to tour the Caribbean this winter. I’m batting well at the moment and my form for England has been good over the past couple of years.”Turning his sights to the more immediate job at hand, Hussain emphasised the need for England to maintain their dominance over South Africa. “South Africa are there for the taking. They are down and we must nail them.”

Close
Scorecard

What a difference a few days can make. On Thursday, England appeared to have been batted out of the match, and the series, but they have since roared right back into the final npower Test with a remarkable victory in their sights. In the whole of the first day, England had only managed to get four wickets. Today, however, they grabbed six in under two sessions, as they assumed control at The Oval. A power-packed 95 from Andrew Flintoff in the morning set the tone for England, who, egged on by an excitable crowd, then put together a dominant bowling display led by Steve Harmison. Tellingly, South Africa accepted the offer for bad light only too readily. Nine overs remained, but they needed to regroup after sinking to 185 for 6, only 65 ahead.England took the honours for the second successive day and Martin Bicknell and James Anderson were on the mark straight away. Anderson charged in and tempted Herschelle Gibbs with a wide, full awayswinger which he should have left well alone. But Gibbs couldn’t resist a swish, and Alec Stewart took the catch (24 for 1). Then Graeme Smith’s lucky charm, which has gradually lost its power after his explosive start to the series, finally ran out when he was undone by a Bicknell inswinger. Smith thrust his pad well forward, but hid his bat as the ball curved back into him. Up went Bicknell and the slips, and Simon Taufel had no hesitation (34 for 2).It was the ideal start for England, but Gary Kirsten, ever the man for a crisis, got stuck in. He and Jacques Kallis carefully rode out the storm – and just as importantly – dampened the crowd’s boisterous enthusiasm as South Africa edged towards parity. Kirsten was proving to be as thorny as ever with his gritty concentration, but, after Kirsten and Kallis had carefully put on 58, Harmison came up trumps to put South Africa back on the ropes. Mixing up his angles and length to Kirsten, Harmison got his man for 35 with an awaycutter from over the wicket. Kirsten drove loosely and was snapped up by Marcus Trescothick at waist-height at first slip (92 for 3).And Harmison wasn’t finished there. In his next over he got the other crucial wicket of Kallis, lbw for 35. Pitching outside off, the ball cut back and caught Kallis on the crease. It was touch-and-go whether it hit him in line with off stump, but Venkat had his finger up quicker than a Flintoff four. Jacques Rudolph then nervously scratched around for 24 balls and was put out of his misery playing an embarrassing leave to Bicknell, who did him like a kipper. After he curved two away from Rudolph, Bicknell then arced one back in and clipped the top of off to leave Rudolph with a very red face (118 for 5).Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher then added a stodgy 32 until Flintoff got some luck – for once – when Venkat surprisingly adjudged McKenzie lbw. McKenzie clearly got an inside edge, and it was too high as well, but maybe Venkat’s glasses had steamed up in all the excitement, as he sent McKenzie on his way for a gutsy 38 (150 for 6).Boucher and Shaun Pollock held firm till the end, even though Boucher was more concerned about the light rather than South Africa’s plight. After toying with their meters for several overs, the umpires finally relented and gave the batsmen the chance to retreat to the dressing-room with England in the box seat, thanks mainly to a sell-out firework display from Flintoff. By the time England declared on 604 for 9, two overs before lunch, Flintoff had cracked 95 of the most tub-thumping runs imaginable.

England made an inauspicious start to the day when Pollock trapped Bicknell lbw for 0 with his third delivery. But Harmison provided stoic support, and after taking a few overs to find his range, Flintoff cut loose in savage fashion. Easing into one-day mode, Flintoff spread the field and belted boundaries almost at will. He had a bit of fortune early on, but there was nothing lucky about the huge sixes he cracked off Kallis and Makhaya Ntini, including a mighty thwack straight back over Ntini’s head into the hospitality boxes at the pavilion end.It was bedlam, pure and simple. Even as he galloped towards his second century of the series, Flintoff refused to check his approach – except to replace his much-abused bat, which developed a large crack near the handle. Another enormous six – the fourth of his innings – took Flintoff to 95, but to the intense disappointment of a pumped-up crowd, he then swung across the line and was comprehensively bowled by Paul Adams. He walked off to a huge ovation, having broken a 111-year-old partnership record against South Africa, in adding 99 for the ninth wicket with Harmison. But never mind the past, Flintoff had given England the advantage right here, right now.Wisden Day 4 Verdict: South Africa face Groundhog Day
Wisden Day 3 Bulletin: Trescothick and Thorpe restore England’s fortunes