Ian S Mohan, a teacher based in Trinidad, was one of many volunteers who are helping out at World Cup venues. He outlines his experiences during the first-round matches.

Now that the travelling circus has left the shores of Trinidad and the natives have returned to their normal way of life, the true impact of the World Cup has finally sunk in.On the first day of volunteering we were a happy bunch of naive Trinis who could not wait to see the tourists and usher them to their seats and, if called on, we would have been happy to stand next to and fan the tourists until the prizegiving. We were really eager to work for our country and the beloved game – a true bunch of patriots.It was a culture shock for us all when we went to the Queens Park Oval. We got an idea of what was in store at the University of the West Indies (UWI) warm-up games as well.The biggest impression in my mind was the curtailing of freedom in your own country. It was martial law in the confines of a cricket ground. At the ground, water was TT$12 (US$2) a bottle – outside the fence and in the UWI café it was TT$4.50. A beer was TT$18 a cup – over at the café it was only TT$6.The spectators passed the bars and concessions and simply walked away. One spectator, who on the first warm-up game arrived with his own water, was told he could not enter the arena with his plastic bottle, especially with the cap on, as this was clearly a weapon of mass destruction. He was taken from the UWI by paramedics at 3pm suffering from dehydration, because he could not afford to purchase water at the inflated price .This was the highlight of the World Cup for me. I continued to volunteer (but the fire was out) as I was moved by that cricket fan who waited a lifetime to be a part of the first World Cup and almost paid the ultimate price.

It dawned to me that the ICC does not care about our little countries and our economies. They are alien to the socio-economic status and the way of life of the spectators of cricket, and the culture of the peoples of the Caribbean, and even Asia … for that matter, the world. They care only about image, ambush marketing, television and money.They don’t care about the people who keep cricket alive: us. Thousands of real cricket fans stayed away – they said they had self respect and pride and would not pay money to be treated this way. I now understand their view and feel that I compromised my self respect to be part of the tournament. We were told how to talk, how to smile, how to welcome the tourists, how to speak. We had a handbook to learn from.The ICC twisted the arms of small island states to institute draconian laws to facilitate the World Cup. Why? We have been holding ODIs for 30 years, and win, lose, or draw, the end was peaceful. The biggest terrorist in the Caribbean is rain, as it threatens any game. We were stripped of our water, food, and our true West Indian flavor that visitors come to the Caribbean to take part in. We were told to sit quiet, not to be too loud, not to disturb the spectators … but to have fun and enjoy the game. Bull.How can you enjoy a cricket match and not show your enthusiasm or disgust? The biggest joke was that the nuts man, who in Trinidad tosses his packs from the front row to anywhere in the stands, was told by ICC that he has to deliver in hand the packets. No one has never been hit and if so only his pride is dented for not being able to make a clean catch.The nuts man also had to change his sales pitch – his unique call – to that of “Nuts! Nuts!”. Our nuts men also are walking comedians, giving and taking jokes, but not at the World Cup. They were censured. They took the abuse for the high prices and said meet them at the next ODI series and they would give you the answer. You could have seen the agony, instead of pride, in the nuts men at this gala event. Oh, and the nuts were TT$6 – at a normal ODI they would be half the price. We bought, only to save the nuts men from bankruptcy, for they are as essential as the umpires to cricket in the Caribbean.

The volunteering did have its benefit . I was able to see more cricket than normal – don’t let on that you saw cricket as a volunteer, though. I met many foreigners, and was really happy to welcome them to my beloved Trinidad. I enjoyed the modified Queens Park Oval, I would enjoy cricket in 2008, whoever is coming to beat the West Indies.Volunteering is a calling, and you have to love doing it. I wanted to be a part of the World Cup because I love the game, will always love the game and would do it again. The ICC must be empathetic to us; the audiences. People of all walks of life make up the paying patrons, and it’s the poor who sacrifice the most to see their heroes perform. If we are to bring the championships back to the Caribbean they must think about the people. The games are not well attended as the spectators will not pay to be abused. Caribbean people have their pride.It was sad to watch our Muslim brothers and sisters agonise during the lunch breaks as they were unable to get a venue for prayer. The Local Organising Committee did not take into consideration the religious aspect of the spectators. It was the visiting Pakistani and Bangladeshis who wanted to go to the mosque, but they were denied exit passes to visit the St James Mosque, which was one mile away. These spectators were genuine in their need and were bluntly told that there was a no re-entry policy. It was even difficult to get water to do their ritual washing before prayers.This World Cup will be remembered for the wrong reasons. The good work of the volunteers has been overshadowed by the off-field drama and the insults meted out by the ICC to the proud Caribbean people.

Glenn McGrath has signed off on his career by winning the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament prize with a record 26 wickets. When McGrath stepped from the Kensington Oval he entered retirement and then collected his third World Cup winners’ medal after seven weeks of bowling brilliance.In 250 one-day internationals McGrath collected 381 wickets and his 71 World Cup victims in 39 games are 16 ahead of the previous mark set by Wasim Akram. McGrath, 37, has made continued high performance a trademark and he finishes his career in fifth place on the ICC one-day rankings.One of only five players to reach 900 rankings points, McGrath reached his statistical peak of 903 during the seven-match ODI series against South Africa in March 2002. Only Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee, Shaun Pollock and Muttiah Muralitharan collected more points from the complex ratings system. McGrath holds the same spot in the Test records after capturing 914 points during the 2001 Ashes series.

Jack Kerr, who played seven Tests for New Zealand in the 1930s and later went on to become the president of New Zealand Cricket, died in Christchurch on Sunday at the age of 96.At the time of his death he was the second oldest living Test cricketer, being ten days younger than Eric Tindill, who toured England with him in 1937. He is the third longest lived Test player of all time, behind Tindill and Francis MacKinnon.A World War II veteran, Kerr maintained a link with cricket after his playing days, taking up coaching and the administration of the game. He was the manager of the New Zealand team which toured South Africa in 1953-54 and he also had a stint as the chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council.”Jack [Kerr] made a significant contribution to New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Foundation over a number of years and his support was warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated,” New Zealand Cricket Chairman Sir John Anderson said.Kerr, who was an accountant by profession, was a right-hand opening batsman who had a long domestic career. He scored 4839 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 32.19. He was at his best in 1935-36 when he made 146 not out and 71 for Canterbury against Percy Holmes’s MCC tourists, and followed up with two centuries in the unofficial “Tests” – 105 not out at Wellington and 132 at Christchurch.He passed fifty only once in his seven Tests, when he scored 59 against England at Christchurch in 1932-33. Kerr toured England twice, in 1931 and 1937, and his second trip was the more successful as he tallied 1205 runs at 31.71.

Worcestershire are preparing to host their scheduled County Championship match against Kent on July 8 at New Road, barely a week after the flood waters finally subsided following the torrential rain in late June.”This has been a tough and risky decision but all my colleagues have ‘bought’ into the desire to see cricket being played on Sunday at 11am,” said chief executive Mark Newton. “The flood water is still on some of the outfield and car parks and in the marquee but we are able to get into the buildings and start the clean up.”The most difficult piece of the jigsaw is the wicket but we think a decent wicket can be prepared. I am told by those who know that the normal recovery period is two to three weeks but we have just six days. The entire infrastructure may not be ready but we owe it to our members and supporters to show what we can achieve.”Newton added that the smell around New Road was still fairly strong and said he would be calling on members to help with the clean-up operation later this week to get the ground ready.This was the first summer flood at New Road since 1969 and the second worst ever after 1924. The club has already announced costs and lost revenue of around £150,000 to £200,000 due to the disruption to their Twenty20 programme. One home match was cancelled while others have been moved to Kidderminster and Himley.

Shoaib Akhtar is delighted by Geoff Lawson’s appointment as Pakistan coach, claiming only an Australian can help them beat the world’s best team. “I am excited that he is coming to Pakistan, it’s thrilling,” he said.”He can lift us to that level where we can become world beaters. I have always loved the Australian mentality. They only play to win and even if they lose they put up their best till the end. I am confident that Lawson will help us beat Australia because he will know their weaknesses and strong points.”Shoaib said teams from the subcontinent, especially Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have benefited from being coached by Australians. Both teams had extended stints with Dav Whatmore.”Australian thinking is different from the subcontinent,” Shoaib said. “They acquire knowledge about minor things and work on them while subcontinental people think differently.”Shoaib was confident Lawson’s presence would help him and the fast bowlers in the Pakistan line-up. “He is someone who believes fast bowlers can win matches and I will definitely be able to lift the level of my performance under him,” he said. “Once the fast bowlers deliver the team will benefit. Even Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor benefited from Lawson’s help when they played alongside him in New South Wales, so he must have something which worked.”Looking ahead to the season, Shoaib said: “This current Pakistan team has a young captain in Shoaib Malik and it has worked extensively to be the fittest. The atmosphere is very good and we are gearing up for the challenges ahead.”Pakistan have a busy season ahead and play the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in September in South Africa, then host South Africa for two Tests and five one-day internationals and tour India for three Tests and five ODIs. They also host the world champions Australia in March and April next year, a series Shoaib is already looking forward to. “I can’t wait for the Australian series. I want to play in at least one series win over Australia.”

Division One

Harbhajan Singh took 4 for 64 to bowl Worcestershire out for 217 on the third day against Surrey at Guildford, forcing them to follow on. Surrey’s last two only added a further 22 to their overnight 347, but their bowlers quickly tore into Worcestershire’s top-order; Matt Nicholson removed his compatriot Phil Jaques and Vikram Solanki before Harbhajan took over. Steven Moore, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper, stood in Surrey way with a combative 58, but his wicket prompted an inevitable slide from the lower-order who collapsed to 217 all out. Following on Worcestershire moved to 46 without loss, still trailing by 106.Read John Ward’s full report of Yorkshire’s third day against Kent at Scarborough.Hampshire continued to rule the rod over title-chasers Sussex, who barely recovered from their overnight 65 for 6 to make 145 at The Rose Bowl. Luke Wright’s 46 added a touch of respectability. Hampshire’s reply was by no means flawless, at 83 for 3, but John Crawley’s unbeaten fifty took them to 113 without further loss. They will aim to quickly erase the deficit on Saturday morning and march on to a steady lead.

Division Two

Justin Langer and Simon Katich, former Australia team-mates, set up an enthralling finish to Derbyshire and Somerset’s match on the third day at Derby. Katich declared Derbyshire’s first innings on 94 for 2, 246 behind Somerset who increased their lead by 84 before setting the home side 331 to win in 98 overs. Somerset’s last five smashed 160 runs before lunch with Craig Kieswetter stroking an impressive 52 from 43 balls. Derbyshire then added 94 in 31 overs – Katich declaring after a brisk 29 – before Somerset, batting for the second time in the day, cracked 84 in 20 overs. Bad light forced the players off early, but an intriguing final day is in prospect with Derbyshire requiring a further 329 runs on a wearing pitch.Northamptonshire made steady progress against Nottinghamshire at Northampton after rain washed out the first day. Three fifties from the top four helped them past the 200-mark, but Notts struck back in the evening session to restrict them to 264 for 7. Stephen Peters, David Sales and Alex Wakely struck the half-centuries, while Robert White fell just short, with 46. Last week may have been one for the old-timers – but Mark Ealham added his own contribution today, with four wickets.A wet outfield meant there was no play between Glamorgan and Leicestershire at Abergavenny, nor at Bristol for Gloucestershire’s match against Essex.

Glenn Rogers, who missed Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup win over Netherlands last week, has withdrawn from the squad to play Ireland which starts on Thursday.Rogers pulled out after his company arranged for him to go on a training course.”It is difficult at the moment, but at least we have reached a compromise that I will have the day off to play against India in a couple of weeks,” Rogers told The Scotsman. “It kills me to keep giving up my spot because I worked so hard to get it. But there’s nothing I can do about it in the present circumstances.”I can’t afford to take a step back in income because we are looking for a bigger house at the moment. As far as my cricket career goes, I will have to keep taking it week by week unless there comes a time when we can have full-time contracts, which I believe is the only way we can improve.”Rogers will also miss the Twenty20 World Championship because it clashes with a family wedding.

Patrick Ochan and Jimmy Okello have been banned for life by the Ugandan Cricket Association (UCA), after the duo went missing at the end of the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Darwin.The bans are unlikely to have a significant impact on the duo – it has been reported that they have now taken up residence in Adelaide after applying for, and successfully obtaining, working visas.”By the rules of the association, we dissociated ourselves from the act [their disappearance] and banned them from playing cricket for Uganda ever again. They would have no cause to come back to us at all,” William Kibukamusoke, the chairman of UCA, told Cricinfo on telephone from Kampala.Ochan and Okello, who are multi-talented sportsmen, have also been barred from representing Uganda in any other sport. The duo have played in the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF’s) circuit. Ochan, who was the more successful of the two, had a career-best ranking of 428 in the ITF’s junior level, and represented Uganda in the Davis Cup.”They will never [represent Uganda in any international sport]. We passed this information around all our sister associations. Their talent is now wasted,” Kibukamusoke said. “That [their banning] was the statement we made to the police in Darwin. We had to leave the case clear, and there was no use moving out without making a police case.”Interestingly, Ronnie Kintu, a sports journalist with the , a Ugandan newspaper, also went missing with the two after Uganda defeated Argentina in the final of the tournament on June 2. “He [Kintu] wasn’t grabbed but the other two were grabbed – wherever they were staying in the neighbourhood, they were uprooted and apprehended,” Kibukamusoke said.Though Ochan and Okello were found in Sydney by Australia’s Immigration Department on June 12 – no action was taken as their visas were valid till July 28. The had reported that Ochan and Okello were staying with Ken Skewes, a South Australia player who they befriended at an Under-19 tournament. Skewes had contacted the authorities when he realised that the two were being sought.Meanwhile, Ochan and Okello are enjoying life in their adopted country. “We got the visas last week and I’m even going for official cricket practice with my new club tomorrow,” Ochan told on August 1. Jimmy [Okello] is currently playing soccer with the Africa Stars Club and scoring goals for fun. Our ability to play most of the games here has made us very popular.”

Mohammad Yousuf surprisingly pulled out of the first Test against South Africa in Karachi at the very last minute, citing a lack of batting practice as the cause.Yousuf has not picked up a bat since the ODI series between an Asia XI and Africa XI in June this year. He was dropped from Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad, to much surprise, and has since been on Islamic preaching missions through Pakistan.Yousuf told reporters at the end of day one, “I haven’t practiced for the last two months and I told the selectors I will not be playing the first Test yesterday. “I have no injury, but I felt I was not match fit.”Asked why he had not told the selectors he needed more time in the middle before he was selected for the 15-man squad, Yousuf said, “The selectors did not ask me about my match fitness when they announced the squad.”During nets yesterday I felt I needed some more time before I should play in theTests. I’m sure by the time second Test begins I will regain my match fitness.”Inevitably, there was speculation over Yousuf’s decision, and the Indian Cricket League (ICL) reared its head in discussions on the matter. Yousuf was one of four players from Pakistan to sign up for the league, before he revoked his decision after discussions with the Pakistan board and announced he would play for his country instead.But Yousuf downplayed the rumours, insisting that the decision was taken purely on the basis of his match fitness. He also denied reports that he had received any communication from the ICL indicating their unhappiness on his decision to not honour his contract. Rumours had it that there might be legal ramifications had he played for Pakistan.However, Gaurav Seth, ICL’s marketing and communication head, also denied any communication. “We’ve not sent any legal notice. It’s not yet clear whether he wants to be a part of the league or not and we’re waiting for his response. We hope to hear from him over the course of the next few days. We will then decide on a course of action.”

Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, has said he is pleased with the team’s performance in the one-off Twenty20 game against Australia in Mumbai.”We played excellent cricket against a formidable team like Australia,” he told reporters. “The Aussies play cricket at a different level, but we showed on Saturday that we too can be dominant.”Vengsarkar rued the loss in the sixth one-dayer in Nagpur, where India lost their way chasing a huge target after getting off to a solid start, to hand the series to Australia.”Had we won in Nagpur we could have very well drawn the series.”He was also impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy skills and the way he maintained his composure under pressure. “He did a good job during the series. He is a good thinker and a calming effect on the side.”Vengsarkar felt the wins in the last two matches against Australia would lift the team’s spirit. “It will stand us in good stead and our morale will be higher when we play Pakistan,” he said. “Even when we go to Australia these wins will help because we have beaten them here. At least it will be at the back of our minds that this team [Australia] is beatable.”When asked to compare the current Australian side with the West Indies team which toured India after the 1983 World Cup, he said: “Both are great sides. In 1983 West Indies really clobbered us in the one-dayers and Test matches. But this time we held our own and played extremely well against the Aussies.”The selectors will pick the squad for the ODIs against Pakistan on either October 26 or 27 during the Challenger Trophy, India’s premier domestic one-day tournament, in Ahmedabad. The first one-dayer against Pakistan is on November 5 in Guwahati.