| From cricket to
Kournikova Wednesday, 7 November, 2001 BBC Sport Online columnist Neil McKenzie looks forward to a break from Test cricket and a chance to take a close-up look at tennis pin-up Anna Kournikova. So another week in Bloem has come and gone in the life and times of Neil McKenzie, the Test cricketer. This time last year we beat New Zealand, with the man of the match award going to Makhaya Ntini, who toiled on a flattie and extracted six wickets in one innings. The wicket for the game against India was very different to last year's, there being a lot more grass on it and the bounce almost as good as the famous WACA track in Perth. So a hand-clap all round must go to the groundsman, former Free State fast bowler Nico Pretorious, for getting the strip just right and suiting our quicks quite It was a match for the statisticians - Polly (Shaun Pollock) claimed his first '10-for' in Test cricket and Herschelle (Gibbs) notched up his first century on SA soil. My roomie "Zulu" Klusener also chipped in with a nice run-a-ball hundred in his own inimitable style. From here we move onto PE for the second Test and thankfully we have a week off to rest weary legs and catch up with friends at home. This coming weekend, I've got a bit of a busy social calendar as I have to attend a few functions back in my home town of Jo'burg. In the swim The big one of course is on Saturday night, the party to launch the SA Sports Illustrated magazine's swimsuit edition. It's going to be a bit of a family affair as my sister Megan was one of the lucky models to travel to the luxurious resort of Pang Ko La in Malaysia to take part in the shoot back in July. Her career is going quite well now and hopefully she'll get a few more jobs under her belt as well as introducing me to a few of her good-looking colleagues. If you've seen the magazine or the video, you'll notice that she got her technique straight from her big brother! Needless to say I have copped a bit of stick from my team-mates in this regard but they are all good blokes and I'd be prepared to be a brother-in-law to any of them with the exception of Kallis, Boucher and Ntini. After the launch party, I'll be heading to my regular night spot in Joey's Night Fever to join up with some of my mates for a few cold ones and a bit of a celebration. Not sure what we're celebrating but it sounds like a good idea. Sunday afternoon looks as though it will also be a good day as the two best looking women tennis players on the WTA circuit are in town, namely Anna Kournikova and South Africa's very own Amanda Coetzer. They will be playing the third match of the MTN tennis challenge in Jo'burg on Sunday afternoon. It just so happens that our very own physio Craig 'the fizz' Smith will be taking care of the girls physical needs while they are in SA. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be getting a few comps and stories from the fizz and maybe an introduction to Anna before she leaves the sunny shores of SA. Until the next time, this is Neil McKenzie for BBC Sport Online. |