Cricket: English now see what they missed

By RICHARD BOOCK

They were shaking their heads in disbelief 18 months ago as the man with the ample girth dismantled Australia's World Cup cricketers at Cardiff.

And they were at it again this week in Nairobi as batting sensation Roger Twose continued to star on the world one-day stage, steering New Zealand into tomorrow night's final of the mini-World Cup.

At a time when the England cricketers have already been ousted from the million-dollar tournament, Twose's run-scoring exploits are apparently prompting more head-turning in the press-box than one might reasonably expect at an Exorcist movie.

Former England international Derek Pringle, writing for the Independent, yesterday became the most recent in a long line of English scribes to express his astonishment at the transformation of the former Devon and Warwickshire professional.

"The irony, as far as England are concerned, is that Twose is an Englishman, though one that never stood out enough in county cricket to even warrant a mention of international honours," he wrote.

"Yet, in 68 one-day internationals, he now averages over 40, more than any player in the England squad at the mini-World Cup."

Twose, who averaged 79.50 at last year's World Cup, has again taken the opportunity to press his claims as one of the world's most effective limited-overs batsmen, even if he may not rate as one of the most fashionable.

The 32-year-old is in the process of building an international one-day record second only to Glenn Turner in terms of New Zealand batsmen, a remarkable achievement given the fragility of the Kiwi top order, and the chaos in which he has often found himself.

Turner ended a 41-match ODI career with a standout average of 47, while New Zealand's next most successful one-day batsmen have been Martin Crowe (38.55), Andrew Jones (35.69) and Nathan Astle (34.89).

A batsman who rates his ability to time an innings and manage the risks involved, Twose has scored 70 not out, 64, 63, 85 and 87 in his past five ODI innings, setting the scene for New Zealand's march into tomorrow night's showpiece.

Even more dramatic has been the Wellingtonian's huge improvement through the second half of his career, which in 32 ODI innings has seen him score 12 of his 19 half-centuries while averaging a world-class 56.95.

New Zealand, who will square off against the winners of the overnight semifinal between India and South Africa, had a break yesterday following their semifinal win.

They will have a training session today before settling back to see who will be selected for the final.

Team physiotherapist Mark Harrison said allrounder Chris Harris would probably play his 159th one-day international, despite suffering a back strain on Wednesday, but was less optimistic about Chris Cairns, who seems unlikely to participate, even as a batsman.

However, Cairns and the other members of the 14-man squad are guaranteed a financial windfall whatever the result of tomorrow night's match.

The New Zealanders have collected $US110,000 ($275,000) for their progress so far, and will pick up another $US150,000 ($375,000) if they lose, or $US250,000 ($625,000) for a win - a potential jackpot of $US360,000 ($900,000).

The increased stake is apparently an initiative of the ICC, who believe the temptation to rig matches would be reduced if bigger financial incentives were provided to win.

In comparison, Australia got $US300,000 ($750,000) in official prizemoney after playing eight matches to win last year's World Cup.