| Bring on the Aussies Tuesday, 27 November, 2001 BBC Sport Online columnist Neil McKenzie revels in cricket's global popularity and looks forward to taking on the Aussies. These are interesting times we find ourselves in with regard to cricket being played around the world. There has been a lot written in the press recently about the "unofficial" Test match taking place here at SuperSport Park. From a player's viewpoint, I'm just happy to have played the game and am certainly looking forward to our next Test match encounter in Australia next month. Just to prove how the game has grown globally, we find ourselves within four days of finishing a Test match series against India heading to Australia to begin another one. On the other hand, India head home to begin a Test series of their own against England next Monday, just six days later! It was great that this match did get the go-ahead and suffice to say we as a team were very happy with the way it went. It worked out well for our final preparations before we leave for Aussie on 1 December; the official start of summer and all the guys got a decent run in their respective disciplines. For me, it was good to get some time at the wicket but again I was disappointed after getting a reasonable start and then not following through. However, I was very happy for both Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock who both made tons as well as Nanty Hayward and Makhaya Ntini who both bowled well in the match. Experience This weekend also saw the squad selected for the Australia tour and I'm thrilled to be joined by my two Titans provincial team-mates in Jacques Rudolph and Steve "Shotsie" Elworthy. Both have made brilliant starts to the domestic four-day campaign here in SA and fully deserve their inclusion in the touring party. Rudolph was especially upbeat, as he made his debut for the SA team, albeit in the unofficial five-day match. He will surely have learned from the experience and be better off for it when he does make his Test match debut in the near future. This weekend sees the start of the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf challenge to be played at Sun City. I'm hoping to get down there for Thursday and Friday and am looking forward to following my golfing mentor, Ernie Els around the course. I will also be hoping to pick up a few tips to use against the boys on the green fairways in Aussie! However, the highlight of the two-day excursion will be Thursday's beach party at the Valley of the Waves where I'm sure there'll be a few curvy sights to enjoy and a few coldies to cool off with. But back to the golf; I've heard the courses over in Aussie are quite special and apparently Mark Boucher, Pollock and Kallis already have a return challenge on the fairly decent Joondalup course just outside Perth. Until the next time, which will be from the sunny shores of Australia, this is Neil McKenzie for BBC Sport Online. |