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‘I don’t think I am lazy, for outsiders it looks like that’ – C Raghu © Getty Images

Thirteen years ago, Chandrasekhar Raghu was just another cricketer. They come in dozens in India, rushing home after school, picking up a cheap bat and rushing to join the neighbourhood tennis-ball . It’s all very simple: whack the ball, indulge in a bit of hit-and-giggle, and retire home at sunset to bury your face in homework. It doesn’t happen to most young enthusiasts, but something changed, for the better, where Raghu is concerned.When he was 11, a neighbour who happened to be the secretary for the local Hanumant Nagar Cricket Club, picked him out of the street cricket milieu and invited him to come and practise at the club. “I owe a lot to Balaji,” Raghu told Cricinfo at the end of the first day’s play at Mysore’s Gangothri Glades Ground. From there his journey to state-level cricket started. Soon he was playing for under-13 cricket.Was he afraid of the leather ball, having never played before? “No,” he says with a smile, “I just used to go out and play.” But that’s where my transformation as a bowler happened. I used to be just a batsman but suddenly I discovered that with the leather ball, I could bowl pretty useful offspin.” In fact, Raghu played in an under-19 tournament as a spinner.Even though he found his touch as a batsman and became prolific at the league level, where he used to bat at No. 3 or 4, at the Ranji Trophy level he was still treated as a bowler. He admits, “I used to play at No. 8 for Karnataka, and they used to consider me as an ODI player.” An average of 12.72 in 10 first-class matches is a proof of that. “I was very disappointed in those times. I used to bat at No. 3 or 4 in the leagues, but when it came to playing for Karnataka, I would be relegated down the order and treated as a bowler. I never used to get a chance to prove myself. It was very tough. I was stagnating.”Others’ misfortune, as it would turn out, gave Raghu the opportunity he was looking for. “I was feeling very down but then suddenly two or three batsmen flopped last season and I got my chance.” And he grabbed it. Two centuries and a fifty in the P Subbiah Pillai tournament in February 2006. He rates his 117 against Hyderabad in that tournament, as his best and the turning point of his career. All of a sudden the bowler was publicly recognised as an allrounder.There were other innings that Raghu remembers fondly. “I got a hundred against Western Australia recently,” he said. “I wanted to prove to the selectors that I can do well in three-day matches. Those knocks gave me confidence – and possibly the selectors too.” It definitely did. Within months, he was picked for the Challenger Series where the best young talents in the country get a chance to play with senior cricketers.Raghu is one of those batsmen that make the game look easy; lazy elegance seeps through his batting. Though he admits otherwise – “I don’t think I am lazy, it looks like that to others” – Raghu has been a victim of his own fluent batting style. “Yes, so many times I have got out like that,” he said. “When playing very well, I would think this bowler is easy to play and I have got out trying few things. I used to get 30, 40 quickly and then get out. I have matured now. That’s why I maintain this is a mental game. Now I am learning to play to big innings.”His preference is to keep the ball on the ground but he remains a busy player, constantly looking for singles. While Joginder Sharma, who grabbed seven wickets in Haryana’s match against Andhra – including a hat-trick – was troubling some of the other batsmen today with his bounce off a length, Raghu played him with ease.So what does he think when he stands at the crease waiting for the ball to be released? “Nothing,” comes the answer with a smile. “I keep my mind blank, I don’t think about anything.” Sensible ploy. Like many Indian batsmen, he makes his living off the front foot. Without disagreeing, he says today it was part of a plan: “I thought on this pitch – it was keeping low at times – it was better to get on to the front foot. I got out playing the wrong line though”.One other amazing thing about him is that he has never had a batting coach. So where did this pleasing stroke play come from? “There was no coach, I just play like this,” he said. “No one taught me how to play. This game is played more in the mind. Its 70% mental. Venkatesh Prasad [the Karnataka coach] has helped to improve on the mental aspect. My aim is to score runs and I go about finding ways of doing that. I just play ball by ball, I don’t think much.”For Raghu, each day is taken in his stride. “I am sticking to the present,” he said. “I just have to do well in the Ranji Trophy as I want Karnataka to be the Ranji Champions. I want to score at least three centuries this season. I am not thinking too much ahead, just want to stick to the process.”

Scorecard
If Michael Vaughan’s England side was let off the hook by bad light in Faisalabad, then the – or verdict – on the women’s side against India on the final day at Delhi was slightly more heartening. Resolute batting from Charlotte Edwards (46), the captain, Arran Brindle (46), and Jenny Gunn (32) staved off defeat and thwarted India’s bid for a maiden Test win against England, Edwards’ side finishing the day on 210 for 6.The Indian women gave nothing away though. The fielding was enthusiastic, the bowling tight, but in the end the resolve of the English batsmen shone over all else. Veteran spinner Neetu David consistently found turn from a slow pitch, and she beat the bat on numerous occasions. Nooshin Al Khader, however, was the pick of the bowlers, sending down 32 miserly overs for just 30 runs, picking up the wickets of Laura Newton, Clair Taylor and Lydia Greenway to stymie England’s run chase.Earlier, England’s batsmen produced a good morning session by adding 109 to their overnight 3 for 0, with Edwards standing tall with a 94-ball 46. She was eventually out, leg before, to the persistent Jhulan Goswami, with England 73 for 3. Brindle and Gunn then added 73 for the fourth wicket before Brindle was run out for 46 as the scoring rate slowed. She hit four boundaries as well as the solitary six of the match, but was unlucky to be dismissed just four short of a deserved fifty. Her dismissal, on the stroke of tea, meant England were 146 for 4, still 165 runs adrift of their target.At this stage, Mithali Raj, India’s captain, used an attacking field to try and put pressure on England, and the efforts of her fielders would have pleased her. A hard punch down the ground just after lunch by Gunn was met by a diving mid-off fielder, saving a certain boundary. Al Khader struck again to have Greenway caught by Raj for a laborious 6 off 51 deliveries, and England looked in trouble at this stage.Yet, as it became evident that a win was out of reach, Rosalie Birch and Laura Harper put their heads down and avoided any further checks to their progress. A loud appeal for a very close lbw against Harper was turned down by umpire RD Singh – to the clear frustration of Al Khader – but it was to be the last tense image on a day in which determination was the name of the game.Goswami was eventually adjudged Man of the Match for her spirited showing with the bat and ball throughout the match.

The top spot was a no-contest. VVS Laxman’s coruscating, series-turning, once-in-a-lifetime 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001 emerged the overwhelming winner in the Greatest Indian Test Innings survey conducted by Wisden Asia Cricket magazine on the occasion of its third anniversary.Laxman’s 281, that turned a hopeless situation for India to a match-winning one, garnered 268 points, more than Rahul Dravid’s 233 against Australia at Adelaide in 2003 which was ranked second. However, Sunil Gavaskar emerged the most valuable batsman. Though his highest ranked innings – a stirring 96 against Pakistan on a crumbling pitch at Bangalore in 1987 – came at number six, Gavaskar had two other innings in the top ten, underscoring his worth to Indian cricket in a period when the team’s batting revolved around him.Rahul Dravid, whose stellar performances have underpinned India’s recent success, came out shining too with all four of his nominated innings being ranked in the top 25. Sachin Tendulkar – whose unbeaten, match-winning 155 against Australia at Chennai in 1998 occupied the number nine position – won five nominations in all, and three of them in the top 25.A total of 63 innings were nominated by the 35-strong jury comprising former players, broadcasters, sportswriters and analysts. They were asked to nominate their own top ten, and each selection was assigned a point value in descending order – 10 for the top-ranked innings, nine for the next, and so on all the way down to one for the tenth-ranked innings.Gundappa Viswanath, rated by many of his contemporaries, including Gavaskar, as the best Indian batsman of his generation, won five nominations. His gutsy 97, a bulk of which came in the company of tailenders, against West Indies at Madras in 1975, was ranked third. One place lower was Virender Sehwag’s thrill-a-minute 309, the highest individual score by an Indian batsman. Performances from the early era were not ignored either, with Vijay Hazare’s 145 against Don Bradman’s Australians at Adelaide in 1948 being rated fifth and Vinoo Mankad’s towering 184 against England at Lord’s in 1952 at number seven.The 40-page cover story feature in the December issue of Wisden Asia Cricket features eyewitness accounts of the top 25 innings as voted by our jury. Those contributing their memories of these performances include: Justin Langer, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Bishan Bedi, Glenn McGrath, Madhav Apte, Rajan Bala, Angus Fraser, Scyld Berry, Ramachandra Guha, Tony Cozier, Saqlain Mushtaq, Ajit Wadekar, Mike Whitney and many others.The top 25

Player	Score	v	Venue	Points
VVS Laxman	281	Australia	Kolkata, 2001	268
Dravid	233	Australia	Adelaide, 2003	133
Viswanath	97*	West Indies	Madras, 1975	132
Sehwag	309	Pakistan	Multan, 2004	118
Hazare	145	Australia	Adelaide, 1948	115
Gavaskar	96	Pakistan	Bangalore, 1987	106
Mankad	184	England	Lords, 1952	104
Gavaskar	221	England	The Oval, 1979	83
Tendulkar	155*	Australia	Chennai, 1998	81
Gavaskar	220	West Indies	Port of Spain, 1971	58
Dravid	148	England	Leeds, 2002	56
Viswanath	139	West Indies	Calcutta, 1974	54
Dravid	180	Australia	Kolkata, 2001	46
Pataudi	75	Australia	Melbourne, 1967-68	40
Vengsarkar	102*	England	Leeds, 1986	37
Tendulkar	114	Australia	Perth, 1992	34
Sardesai	112	West Indies	Port of Spain, 1971	29
Mushtaq Ali	112	England	Manchester, 1936	28
Tendulkar	136	Pakistan	Chennai, 1999	26
Dravid	270	Pakistan	Rawalpindi, 2004	26
Lala Amarnath	118	England	Bombay, 1933	25
Azharuddin	121	England	Lords, 1990	22
Mohinder Amarnath	91	West Indies	Bridgetown, 1983	22
Vijay Manjrekar	133	England	Leeds, 1952	17
Chandu Borde	96	West Indies	Delhi, 1959	17

The Jury
Khalid Ansari sportswriter, Madhav Apte former Test player, Abbas Ali Baig former Test player, Rajan Bala sportswriter, Bishan Bedi former Test player, Harsha Bhogle sportswriter and broadcaster, Chandu Borde former Test player, BS Chandrasekhar former Test player, Chetan Chauhan former Test player, Nari Contractor former Test player, Raj Singh Dungarpur former cricketer and administrator, Gulu Ezekiel sportswriter, Anshuman Gaekwad former Test player, Karsan Ghavri former Test player, Ramachandra Guha historian and cricket writer, Mukul Kesavan novelist and cricket writer, Boria Majumdar cricket historian and writer, Sanjay Manjrekar former Test player and broadcaster, Madhav Mantri former Test player, R Mohan sportswriter, Ayaz Memon sportswriter, Suresh Menon sportswriter, Clayton Murzello sportswriter, Bapu Nadkarni former Test player, H Natarajan sportswriter, Vasu Paranjpe former cricketer and coach, Mudar Patherya Sportswriter, Sandeep Patil former Test player, K N Prabhu sportswriter, Vasant Raiji cricket historian and writer, G Rajaraman sportswriter, V Ramnarayan former cricketer and writer, Suresh Saraiya broadcaster, Sharda Ugra sportswriter, Ajit Wadekar former Test player.

In 1922 Hampshire defeated Warwickshire in the county Championship at Edgbaston after having been bowled out for 15, and asked to follow on. In fact the two captains had organised a game of golf the 3rd day. Although todays victory over Glamorgan did not emulate those heights, it was the first time since that 1922 fixture that Hampshire asked to follow their innings went on to an amazing victory.The seeds of doubt were sown in the Glamorgan camp the evening before, at 33-3 John Derrick their coach decided that the evening planned for a team dinner had to be cancelled.Two young men stepped up for Hampshire. Chris Tremlett already tried and trusted although prone to injury, playing his comeback match after split shins shone the brightest. Although there was cloud about to assist the seamers, Tremlett’s extra strength and bounce made the batsmen struggle, but it was James Bruce the other trojan of the day that made the early breakthrough when a quicker ball decieved the dangerous Michael Powell and he was well caught by substitute wicket-keeper Iain Brunnschweiler.Matthew Maynard who many of the Welsh supporters looked to to bring this game back managed to survive for 22 balls, before he was trapped by Tremlett for just 3. Dean Cosker the night-watchman then became Bruce’s third victim with a palpable lbw. Harrison, Croft and Dale all went to Tremlett giving the tall bowler a career best haul, before Dimitri Mascarenhas finished the match when he had Kasprowicz caught superbly in the slips by Simon Katich.Dale who was diagnosed with a broken rib bravely came out.History was made, but perhaps for the season remaining it could be a turning point.One down point of the match was that Nic Pothas has become the third player to sustain a hamstring injury, and is likely to be out for up to three weeks.

Part II: Fond memories from Port of SpainSunil Gavaskar’s favourite ground abroad is the Queen’s Park Oval inPort of Spain, for good reason. But then again, why Gavaskar’s alone?It would probably rank among the favourite foreign venues of manyother Indian cricketers too. After all, where else has Indiaregistered two famous Test victories abroad? If the win in 1971 wassignificant and historic, the triumph five years later was, to put itsimply, one of the greatest in the history of Test cricket, verily amiracle.When India took the field on the opening day of the second Test of the1971 series, it was the 25th encounter between the two countries, andIndia had not won any of the previous 24. Indeed, in 23 Tests, Indiahad not even taken the first innings lead and had achieved this featonly in the previous Test at Kingston. Given their infamous recordabroad, the visitors were given little chance of winning the secondTest, but it was reckoned that a draw was not beyond them.

Historic as that victory was, it pales before the scale ofachievement of the 1976 triumph. The third Test of the four-matchseries was to have been played at Georgetown but was shifted to Portof Spain because of incessant rain in Guyana.

The first signs that India could emerge victorious came on the firstday when West Indies were all out for 214. Now the onus was on theIndian batsmen to consolidate the good work done by the bowlers, and a21-year-old debutant named Sunil Gavaskar provided the perfectspringboard with a patient 65. Ashok Mankad came good with a valuable44, and the two put on 68 runs for the first wicket. The in-form DilipSardesai, who had scored a double hundred in the previous Test, thistime got 112 and with Eknath Solkar (55) added 114 runs for the fifthwicket. Despite the Herculean performance of Jack Noreiga, the offspinner who took nine for 95, India obtained a first innings lead of138 runs. But, by scoring 150 for one in their second innings bystumps on the third day, West Indies came back strongly.The match seemed to hang in the balance as the fourth day commenced,but first Salim Durrani and then Srinivas Venkatraghavan got among thewickets. The veteran left-arm spinner dismissed Clive Lloyd andGarfield Sobers (for a duck) in one over, and then the off-spinnerpolished off the tail. West Indies were bowled out for 261, leavingIndia to get only 124 runs for victory. Not wasting any time, theIndians, spearheaded by another fine innings by Gavaskar (67 not out),who capped a memorable debut by hitting the winning boundary, werehome shortly before stumps on the penultimate day for the loss of justthree wickets. It was the sole decisive result of the five-matchrubber, and that is why the 1971 Port of Spain triumph is doublyfamous.Historic as that victory was, it pales before the scale of achievementof the 1976 triumph. The third Test of the four-match series was tohave been played at Georgetown but was shifted to Port of Spainbecause of incessant rain in Guyana. West Indies, already one up inthe series, led off with 359, thanks in the main to a mighty 177 byVivian Richards, then in the midst of the golden run that was to gethim a record 1710 runs during the year.When India were all out for 228, West Indies had all the time in theworld to consolidate, which they did admirably. With AlvinKallicharran getting an unbeaten 103, Lloyd was able to declare at 271for six, midway through the afternoon of the fourth day. This leftIndia a victory target of 403, in the face of which the chase seemedjust a formality. West Indies had ample opportunity to register theirsecond victory of the series ­ which would have given them the rubber­ and it would have been a Herculean effort for India to even draw thematch. After all, there had been only one precedent in nearly 800 Testmatches of a team scoring over 400 runs to win, and that was in 1948when the Australians, led by Bradman, defeated England at Leeds.However, displaying a positive, never-say-die attitude, the Indianspicked up the gauntlet. Openers Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad, pairedtogether for the first time, put on 69 runs; then Gavaskar andMohinder Amarnath added 108 runs for the second wicket. The dismissalof Gavaskar for 102 at 177 early on the final morning was a majorblow, but Gundappa Viswanath and Amarnath brought the target firmlyinto focus by figuring in a third-wicket association of 159 runs.”India planned their tactics with the perfection of a cricketingLester Piggott, ” Tony Cozier was to write later. Believing that notarget was beyond them, the Indians relentlessly pushed on towardsglory. After Viswanath left, having made 112, Amarnath, who had playedthe sheet anchor role to perfection, and Brijesh Patel carried theIndians to the doorstep of victory before the former was run out for85, made in 442 minutes.By the time he left, though, an unbelievable victory was just roundthe corner, and Patel (49 not out) hastened it with some splendidshots, the winning runs being hit with seven of the 20 mandatory oversstill left. The closing total of 406 for four set a record for thehighest score ever to win a Test match. It still constitutes one ofthe most remarkable victories in Test cricket and, for many, it isstill India’s greatest ever triumph.

Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh will join a group of fellow Test contenders to play for a Cricket Australia XI against New Zealand in a two-day tour match this weekend. The match in Canberra follows on from the Prime Minister’s XI game on Friday and Usman Khawaja will captain both outfits, with four changes to his team for the two-day game on Saturday-Sunday.The Marsh brothers will replace the Hussey brothers and use the match as a warm-up for a possible inclusion for the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba, while wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman and fast bowler Billy Stanlake will join the side to replace Ryan Carters and Mark Steketee respectively.Shaun Marsh may find himself competing for a place in the Test line-up with openers Cameron Bancroft and Joe Burns, both of whom are in the CA XI as well as the PM’s XI. Adam Voges, Peter Siddle, Jason Behrendorff and Ashton Agar round out the side and will play in both Friday’s PM’s XI game and the two-day contest.”Similar to the Prime Minister’s XI squad, this two-day match will provide an opportunity for us to monitor a group of highly-rated players ahead of the first Test at the Gabba,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “Shaun, Mitch and Sam all are all very talented players and we’re keen to see what they can produce against New Zealand.”Billy Stanlake grabbed our attention when he made his debut in this year’s Matador Cup with an intimidating display against South Australia, taking 3 for 43 from nine overs.”This is also another good leadership opportunity for Usman Khawaja. He performed well when he captained Australia A side on the recent tour of India and this will allow him to build on that experience.”Cricket Australia XI Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja (capt), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Agar, Peter Siddle, Jason Behrendorff, Billy Stanlake, Ben Taylor (ACT, 12th man).

ScorecardCharlie Hemphrey struck a brisk 79, featuring eight fours and a six•Getty Images

Charlie Hemphrey’s sensible half century guided Queensland to a comfortable victory over Tasmania on the fourth day-night of the Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba.Queensland had restricted Tasmania to 233 in their second innings through an even bowling effort, most notable for the wicketkeeper Chris Hartley’s 500th catch.That left the hosts with a last-day chase of 158, and after Marnus Labuschagne was out early, Hemphrey and Matt Renshaw combined for a stand that soothed any nerves in Queensland’s viewing area and condemned the visitors to defeat.While Renshaw fell one run short of 50, Hemphrey endured, pushing along at a good rate to take Queensland home with plenty of wickets and time to spare.

The team will go on a victory march to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai © Getty Images

The Indian team has been awarded a bonus of US$ 3 million by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for their victorious campaign in the ICC World Twenty20. Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, also announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore [US$ 253,000] to Yuvraj Singh for hitting six sixes in an over in the match against England.The team, which will land in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, will go on a victory march to the Wankhede Stadium where they will be received by Pawar and be presented the prize-money. Pawar appealed to the people and former cricketers to join the march to provide a fitting welcome to the team.Each of the team’s support staff will be awarded Rs 15 lakh [US$ 38,000] for their efforts. India beat Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final in Johannesburg.Meanwhile, a few state governments too have chipped in with cash rewards for its players. Joginder Sharma, who took the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq to seal the victory, is set to receive a cash reward of Rs 21 lakh [US$ 52,920] from Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh each [US$ 25,250] for Mumbai players Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. Rohit Sharma was one of the biggest finds for India after playing crucial roles in the victories over South Africa and Pakistan in the final.Air India, the international airline which employs six players in the squad, announced out-of-turn promotions for each of them. Praful Patel, the civil aviation minister, said that all the 15 members of the winning squad and their family members would also be given additional free travel benefits for five years.The team lost just one match, against New Zealand, in the Super Eights. Following the defeat, the side knocked hosts South Africa out of the tournament and Australia in the semi-final.

MTN Domestic Championship

A fine allround performance from Zander de Bruyn handed the Warriors a tight 12-run win over the Eagles at Goodyear Park on Friday, and booked their place in the final of the Championship. After losing HD Ackerman for a duck, de Bruyn and Robin Peterson steadied the innings with a fine partnership of 75. Once de Bruyn departed for a patient, anchor-like 62 the Warriors’ innings rather fell away to 241 for 8. However, Makhaya Ntini took two wickets in his first two overs to leave the Eagles’ top order struggling – despite 50 from Loots Bosman. It was de Bruyn who made the difference in the end, removing Bosman and picking up two more at crucial times. Fittingly, he effected the run out of Thandi Tshabalala to seal the match. However, de Bruyn, the captain, might be forced to miss the final against Cape Cobras this Friday due to his side’s slow over-rate against the Eagles.A brisk 50 from Vernon Philander and five wickets from Alan Dawson sealed an easy five-wicket win for Cape Cobras over the Dolphins at Newlands who now join the Warriors in Friday’s final. Dawson ripped through the top order to reduce the Dolphins to 64 for 5. In spite of a fighting fifty from Hashim Amla, they collapsed to an uncompetitive 191. However Johann Louw and Shaun Pollock both struck to leave the Cobras in trouble at 72 for 4 – Pollock removing Herschelle Gibbs for just 3 – before Philander and Ashwell Prince (40*) saw the Cobras home with more than six overs spare.

SAA Provincial Challenge

A fine spell of 5 for 48 in 11 overs from Alan Kruger helped Griqualand West crush Limpopo by 8 wickets at Kimberley. Griqualand held a useful first innings lead of 74, thanks to Adrian McLaren’s 131 and a magnificent, brisk 158 not out from Mohammad Akoojee. Limpopo capitulated meekly in their second innings, limping to 64 for 5 with Kruger ripping out the top order. Johannes Shokane and Pieter Haasbroek offered some resistance, in the process setting Griqualand 39 runs to win, but they cantered to victory in the eighth over for the loss of two wickets.Western Province romped to what was, in the end, a comprehensive victory over South Western Districts in a low-scoring encounter at Cape Town. Mark de Stadler rocked the South Western Districts batting with 5 for 22 as they declared on 103 for 9. Western Province didn’t fare much better in reply and they were indebted to a gutsy 60 from Myles Williamson to salvage a vital first innings lead of 23. Enter Quinton Friend and Colin Birch who left South Western Districts’ second innings in tatters at 26 for 5, before ending their nightmare on 107 to leave Western Province needing just 85 to win. Williamson again batted aggressively to take them over the line, with good support from Bob Homani (21) and Alistair Gray (33).

SAA Provincial Cup

Adrian McLaren’s maiden one-day hundred, an innings bristling with intent and bravado, led Griqualand West to a convincing six-wicket win over Limpopo at Kimberley on Saturday. McLaren’s hundred, from just 109 balls with 16 fours, was a lone effort; five of their top six failed to reach double figures and at one point Griqualand were 49 for 5 in the 18th over. McLaren refused to be contained, lifting three sixes while also receiving good support from Frans Holtzhausen and Alan Kruger whose lovely cameo of 37 injected vital pace in the final five overs. Chasing 250, Limpopo began encouragingly with Sonnyboy Letshele smashing 62 at better than a run-a-ball – but he received scant support as Anthony Mabuya’s slow left-arm-spin ran through the lower-order. Limpopo were finally dismissed for 203 in the 39th over.John Geoghegan’s highest one-day score enabled Western Province to record a simple six-wicket win over South Western Districts at Cape Town on Saturday. Chasing 176, the openers Myles Williamson and Bob Homani fell cheaply before Geoghegan’s stablising innings; Mark de Stadler propped up the other end with a patient 39 as Western Province reached their target with more than eight overs to spare.

Warne will step into the fray after sitting out the ODIs © Getty Images

For 15 minutes, a quartet of the game’s most treasured commodities paraded their off-field repertoires in a discussion devoted to spin. Shane Warne currently leads the friendly jostle with Muttiah Muralitharan for the most Test wickets, and he assumed the role as unofficial master of ceremonies as the pair joined Daniel Vettori and Stuart MacGill for a pre-Super Test meeting.Never has a group of slow bowlers with so many Test wickets – 1553 in total, with MacGill the junior on 160 and Warne the senior on 623 – been together like this and, after next week, the chances of a reunion are as likely as both sides naming five-man pace-attacks on a pitch expected to turn. Watching the spinners’ banter was fascinating as they played their roles by displaying subtle psychological digs, wise-cracking and genuine love of their craft.In a press conference, Warne can show similar characteristics to an over of his bowling – brave, offended, attacking, mock-surprised, in control and, most of all, appealing. Vettori was steady, penetrative with a well-placed one-liner and aware of his place in the pecking order, while Muralitharan was quieter and focused, masking the damage of his potent wrist.A spot for the Test was what MacGill craved, and he grabbed some of the attention with self-deprecating and clever, up-front humour. The selectors, who oversaw his Test-free tour of England, will probably take notice when he turns up at “my house” on Friday.”I guess that means I’m fresh and that you can’t blame me for what happened [in the Ashes],” he said. “Now we’re back at my house I think the story will be very, very different. The SCG has always been very good to us.”To MacGill’s right, Warne predicted Muralitharan would reach 1000 Test wickets and the compliment was reversed. “He’s young, he’s fresh and will be around forever,” Warne said. “I don’t think there’s any rivalry there [for the record], I’m just happy to hang on to it and I have a little lead.”As Muralitharan tipped Warne to play for another “five or six years”, Warne interrupted with “I’ll be 42 then” and MacGill shouted “no” across the table. “Let me clear that up for you, no!” MacGill repeated to a laughing audience. If MacGill, 34, had been born in another country, he might have already retired with 300 Test wickets. Instead, he challenged Vettori to a competition to see who could be first to reach the half-way mark of the other two’s tallies.Vettori settled for being pleased that he was on the verge of a Test in Sydney, something neither he nor Muralitharan have done. “It’s pretty exciting, it’s been a long time since New Zealand have played a Test here. Usually, New Zealand get a couple of Tests in Hobart and one in Perth,” he said dryly. “So, it needs a marquee event to bowl with Murali and to have the two guys on the opposition is exciting.”The Test will be only Muralitharan’s third in Australia and his first for ten years. “It’s a big challenge for me as I’ve got three wickets here for 300 runs,” he said. “That’s 100 runs per wicket so hopefully my performance will be better than that.” Warne said Australia would happily give Muralitharan 3 for 200.As the showmanship neared its end, the predictable yet virtually unanswerable question of who was the best went to Vettori. “The guys to the left [Warne] and right [Muralitharan] of me have obviously proved themselves,” he said, as MacGill cheerfully chirped in with “I’m to the left of you”.”Both have done it all over the world,” Vettori continued. “I’d hate to put anything between them. We’ve got a spectacle here and we get to appreciate the two greatest spinners in the game, and myself and Stuart as well.” The quarter of an hour was over, but there will be six days – although Warne doubts the match will last that long – for more absorbing byplay.