Fielding captains are comfortable with pattern settings and their bowling changes are mostly premeditated.
It’s that predictability which ensures that the unpredictable, when it happens, occasionally enjoys the more inflated status of the unbelievable. The middle-overs slowdown when the field spreads has been with us forever, and at the death there’s the slog. Adam Gilchrist is not going to come out to bat and block because the modern top-order tactic is to demonstrate ballistic menace. Despite its reputation for extravagance, one-day cricket is mostly predictable. “You’re not moving sir.” But why? “Sir, we must check to see that you haven’t concealed a can of Coca Cola.” The other lot, you see, are tournament sponsors and must be protected from newspaper insurgents.. Having had his bags searched the other day the Diary was asked to remove his hat (a rather fetching South African bush trilby) This seemed unreasonable.

The image that has been shown more than any other is that of Shoaib Akhtar bowling a ball at more than 100mph against England and Nick Knight playing an easy forward prop like Akhtar was a trundler on a flat deck.Keep it under your hatSecurity is still a big issue at matches. Not a single ball either live or of recorded highlights is being shown in the UK on terrestrial television, which the sport may come to regret far more than not going to Zimbabwe. It tingles the spine.Terrestrial blackout just not cricketThere is blanket television coverage of the World Cup in South Africa. If they defeat England, they will also beat the record that has been held for 18 years and 24 days by the magnificent West Indies of the mid-Eighties.During their run West Indies used 16 players, of whom Thelston Payne (one match) was probably the least sung.Australia have used 19 players, of whom only Michael Clarke played one match.So which team is better? Difficult to judge but this Diary is not voting against an XI which contained Lloyd (eight matches in the run), Richards (pictured, 11), Holding (11), Marshall (10) and Dujon (11) before getting to Greenidge (8), Haynes (10), Richardson (8) and Walsh (4). PitySometime in the early evening today, Australia will probably become the first team to win 12 consecutive one-day internationals. If the issue is still clouded you should ask a senior player and if he advises that you bowl you should bat And then get on with it.Records there to be broken. If you are unsure about batting you should think about it awhile and then bat.

The oldest adage in the game is that if you win the toss you bat. Nobody raised an eyebrow.But none of this business of the toss is remotely fresh. Thus games involving countries in different time zones would be arranged accordingly (West Indies, Pakistan, India at night, Australia and New Zealand during the day). He specifically said then that the scheduling of matches would take into consideration the need to maximise television audiences.

Those games have taken place in a variety of months: October, November, February and April.It is worth also recalling the briefing given by Ali Bacher, the tournament’s executive director in London in June 2001. It is true that Ashish Nehra was helped by conditions in his favour; it is equally true that England bowled badly, which allowed India to get away.Moreover, there have been 12 day-night matches at the ground, of which six have been won by the side batting second, including the most recent five until the start of the World Cup. In the first and best match of this competition so far, for goodness sake, the hosts came within three runs of making 279 to win.Kingsmead, Durban, has attracted most ire since England botched it on Wednesday. South Africa (twice), Australia and, in this World Cup, Kenya have chased down a target. True, 14 have been won by the side batting first, but that does not make it impossible.