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England put their New Zealand tour back on track with a five-wicket victory over Northern Districts, in which they showed that lessons had been learned from the three-wicket defeat on Friday.Andrew Flintoff made an outstanding first appearance in New Zealand with three for 20 followed by a bludgeoning 45 from 25 deliveries to finish the match with 16.4 overs to spare.Nasser Hussain took back the captaincy, with Flintoff, Ashley Giles and James Foster all returning to the side. Marcus Trescothick, Paul Collingwood, Jeremy Snape and Matthew Hoggard made way.Scott Styris, who returned from the CLEAR Black Caps tour of Australia at two o’clock this morning, replaced Graeme Aldridge for ND.ND batted after winning the toss and made a promising start despite the early loss of Simon Doull, who was not given the chance to repeat his pinch-hitting heroics of the first game.James Marshall and Michael Parlane put on 37 for the second wicket before the loss of five wickets for 19 runs meant that the rest of the innings would be a rearguard action.Stands of 44 for the seventh-wicket between Robbie Hart and Grant Bradburn, and 29 for the eighth between Bradburn and Joseph Yovich brought the innings back to the outer edges of respectability, but a par score of around 250 was never in question after the mid-innings collapse. Bradburn was ND’s top scorer, with an unbeaten 46.England coach Duncan Fletcher spoke after the game about his disappointment with the bowling performance on Friday and the work that had gone on with all the bowlers to bring about improvement.This paid off, with outstanding performances from all the bowlers with the exception of Andy Caddick, whose combined figures for the two matches of 20-1-104-1 have put a home-town appearance in the first One-Day International at Christchurch in doubt.The quicker bowlers all took advantage of the recent changes to the bouncer rule, using the pace and bounce of the WestpacTrust Park pitch to good effect.Darren Gough (9.2-4-21-2) bowled near his best, showing fire and accuracy. Craig White (8-2-23-2) continued his rapid recuperation after knee surgery, hinting that the ability to bowl at real pace has not deserted him permanently.Giles bowled 10 overs of beautifully controlled spin, achieving some turn and finishing with two for 22.But Flintoff was the real star of the attack with nine overs, one maiden and three wickets for 20 runs. He attacked the batsmen with pace, giving them few scoring opportunities. It was pressure one-day bowling of the first order.There is still room for improvement in the fielding. A straightforward stumping chance missed by Foster against Hart off Giles will have done nothing to dampen speculation that Trescothick will take over the gloves at some stage in the ODI series.The England reply got off to a cracking start. the first scoring shot was a hooked six by stand-in opener Michael Vaughan off Ian Butler.Butler took revenge two balls later by having Vaughan caught behind.Hussain faced some hostile bowling early on with Butler again looking distinctly rapid. In his first season at the top domestic level he has already established a reputation as the country’s fastest bowler, Shane Bond apart.ND were convinced that Hussain was caught behind without scoring off Daryl Tuffey, but umpire Billy Bowden disagreed.Tuffey, recalled to the CLEAR Black Caps squad for the first two ODIs today – conceded only four from his first four overs, but went for 17 from his fifth, including a six over long on and a four to midwicket by the England captain.Three wickets in three overs by Yovich brought ND back into the game. Knight (17) top-edged a catch to Hamish Marshall at backward point. Graham Thorpe soon followed, top edging a hook that was well taken on the fine-leg boundary by Parlane, who parried the ball, catching it at the second attempt while tiptoeing just inside the boundary line.Hussain was fourth out, caught behind as he pushed at a ball outside off. He scored 29 from 49 balls and hit four fours. Yovich was removed from the attack after taking three wickets in four overs, which released some of the pressure on England.It was left to White and Owais Shah, neither of whom has spent much time in the middle of late, to ensure that concern did not develop into crisis.Progress was slow, with only 22 scored in 10 overs after the dismissal of Hussain. But they stayed there until White was out for 15, Hamish Marshall taking a brilliant diving catch low to his left as the batsman attempted to cut Doull.This brought in Flintoff to finish things off. Only three of his 45 were not scored in boundaries. His hitting was clean and memorable, a straight six off Styris which rattled the sightscreen perhaps the best of a series of quality shots.Flintoff was fully attired throughout, it being a bit chilly for chest-baring in Hamilton today.He was well supported by Shah, who batted calmly and securely for 29 at a time when preserving wickets was important.England are set to continue the good run of form that took them to series-levelling victory in the final two games in India. New Zealand will have to recover quickly from their disappointing finish in the VB Series if they are to compete.

After two days of rain, the players in the Supersport Series match betweenBoland and the Highveld Strikers woke up to a sunny day on Sunday and musthave expected to get on the field and finally start the match.But when they arrived at Boland Park, the outfield resembled a marsh, as theheavy rain over the past two days failed to drain sufficiently.The umpires took the decision that play would be impossible at any stageduring the day and informed the captains that they will try again on Monday.The weather has made a result impossible unless the sides attempt tocontrive a finish and forfeit an innings. That is unlikely though, given thecurrent cricket match-fixing scandal, as neither team will want to appear tobe manufacturing a result.Play, hopefully, will start on Monday, which may appear to be an exercise infutility, but is still of importance. The Highveld Strikers urgently needpoints and if they could pick up two or three bonus points, it would aidtheir slim chances of qualifying for the Super Eight phase of thecompetition.

Joe Hart, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tom Rogic stood out in Celtic’s huge 2-1 victory away to Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou’s side faced a massive trip to Ibrox, knowing that victory would take them six points clear of their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic did exactly that, falling behind to Aaron Ramsey’s early strike but eventually turning the game on its head thanks to goals from Rogic and Carter-Vickers.

According to Sofascore, there were three Hoops heroes who stood out on the day, and we’ve taken a deeper look through their numbers to get the beat on Ange’s star men, who won a combined 14 duels and made ten clearances.

Hart – 7.3/10

Hart started between the sticks and he produced an immaculate performance, on a day when Celtic’s backs were against the wall in the second half.

The veteran goalkeeper made three saves inside the penalty area, proving to be a constant thorn in Rangers’ side and showing all of his experience, with the low save to deny Fashion Sakala late on particularly impressive.

Hart made five saves overall, in what was arguably one of his best performances in a Hoops shirt.

Carter-Vickers – 7.7/10

Carter-Vickers received the highest rating at Ibrox, following a magnificent display at the heart of the defence.

The 24-year-old made a monstrous nine clearances in a season-defining encounter, as well as winning seven out of nine aerial duels and making three interceptions.

There was also the small matter of Carter-Vickers scoring the winning goal, firing home low like a seasoned striker.

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Rogic – 7.4/10

Rogic was Celtic’s other goalscorer on the day, equalising early on to silence the Ibrox crowd, and he only grew from that moment onwards.

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The Australian was an influential presence in midfield, winning six out of ten ground duels and successfully completing three out of five dribbles.

Rogic also made one tackle, as he thrived both on and off the ball.

In other news, an expert has dropped a key Celtic injury claim. Read more here.

	Rahul Dravid: On the recovery path © Getty Images

Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer and VRV Singh checked in at the National Cricket Academy for the fitness test ahead of the South Africa series, starting on March 26. Over the next few days, Sourav Ganguly, RP Singh and Pankaj Singh will also undergo routine tests.Rahul Dravid, who has been recuperating from a finger injury that he picked up in the Adelaide Test against Australia, was also seen at both the morning and evening nets. “My finger injury has healed and I am feeling fine now,” he said.Dravid has not played any competitive cricket since the Australian tour – he didn’t turn out for Karnataka in the recent Ranji one-dayers – but has had intensive practice with the bowling machine for the last few days.The tests today – held under the supervision of Paul Chapman, the physical conditioning coach, and Paul Close, the physiotherapist – included skinfolds, bleep tests, repeat sprint and aerobic strength tests.Pankaj was supposed to arrive today but it’s learnt that his physio in the Rajasthan Cricket Association wrongly believed that he could issue a fitness certificate himself. Pankaj is carrying a slight niggle in the back and it will be interesting to see how he fares in his fitness test on Friday.While the more well-known bleep test involves short sprints, the aerobic vertical jump test records the difference between the height reached at full stretch with feet on the ground and from a standing jump. The skinfolds test uses callipers to measure body fat.While Laxman, Singh and Jaffer left for the airport to catch their respective flights, Kumble, the local boy, bowled for 30 minutes at the NCA ground. He started off with some spot bowling before using his full regular run-up. As he left the ground, Dravid came in for his evening nets session.

Glenn McGrath risks a disappointing farewell unless Australia’s bowlers can turn things around © Getty Images

There is one bright spot in the darkness of Australia’s recent run of poor one-day form: their batting will be boosted by the return of the rested Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke for the World Cup. They can take no solace from their bowling situation.Australia’s inability to defend 336 at Auckland on Sunday was the latest in a worrying series of big targets they have proved incapable of protecting. New Zealand’s impressive effort was the second-highest successful run-chase in ODI history and was nestled between two other Australian failures from the past 14 months.In their second-last match before they travel to the World Cup, it should be a major concern for a team that has had its bowling line-up largely settled since at least the Champions Trophy in October. Only Shaun Tait has been added for his ability to bowl fast, inswinging yorkers at the death but he is yet to demonstrate that skill at international level.Big scores could be common in the West Indies, where the small grounds will encourage the sort of boundary-clearing strokes that led to a combined 20 sixes at Eden Park on Sunday. Unless Australia’s attack can remember how to bowl some tight, containing overs in the middle or closing stages, their one-day crown will be in danger of slipping even further.Glenn McGrath and Nathan Bracken, two of their most reliable performers, have been below par in 2006-07. Both suffered at the destructive hands of Jacob Oram at Perth as New Zealand came agonisingly close to overhauling Australia’s 343. The pair was also part of the four-man pace attack that could not break the partnership between Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell after England were in desperate trouble in the first CB Series final at Melbourne.Bracken has picked up wickets here and there but his consistency in breaking top-order partnerships with the swinging white ball has fallen away. McGrath has not rediscovered the joy of his Test farewell and his ageing body has been unable to produce the metronomic accuracy that formerly demanded respect from batsmen the world over.Mitchell Johnson has left behind the form that earned him the prize wickets of Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar at the DLF Cup in September. When he plays, he is now targeted by batsmen who want to belt him out of the attack.As Ross Taylor and Peter Fulton reeled in the target at Auckland, what Australia needed was a string of miserly overs that ballooned the required run-rate close to ten an over. Tait, McGrath, Bracken and Shane Watson all threatened to do it but there was always a loose ball just around the corner that let the batsmen relieve the pressure with a boundary.Australia have missed Andrew Symonds and his habit of tearing through overs of offspin as their fit slow-bowling options, Brad Hogg and Cameron White, went for a combined 87 from ten overs. White is, at this stage, not going to the West Indies but Hogg needs to regain the form that made him such a useful part of Australia’s 2003 World Cup squad.He has had limited opportunities this season and his knack for picking up important wickets seems to have deserted him. Batsmen have been willing to push him around and try for boundaries by hitting with the spin. On big grounds that can lead to outfield catches but on smaller ones he will need more control.

Nathan Bracken must again become Australia’s new-ball destroyer © Getty Images

Within the 15-man World Cup squad, there are precious few other possibilities. Johnson was the only fit bowler going to the Caribbean who did not play on Sunday but he went for 49 from his eight overs two days earlier as New Zealand inflicted Australia’s first ten-wicket loss. There will be a temptation to bring in Stuart Clark, who is known for his consistency, if Brett Lee does not recover from his ankle injury.That might not be the best solution. Clark has been a Test match star but like the others, he has been too costly in the limited-overs game. His predictability – and on occasions his lack of control of the white ball – have led to an economy rate of 6.40 from his last ten games. He was the leading culprit as West Indies chased down Australia’s 272 in Malaysia in September, when he went for 87 from seven overs as Chris Gayle unleashed a fierce assault.Australia say they have been fine-tuning their attack in the lead-up to the World Cup. But they cannot possibly suggest their bowling line-up is in its best shape after their recent efforts, although Watson showed some promising signs on Sunday with his control and subtle variations. McGrath, Bracken, Johnson, Watson and Hogg are all capable of match-winning spells on their day. However, limited-overs bowling is largely about containment and unless they can remember how to restrict the runs, they will go to the West Indies in serious danger of being overpowered.In their pool matches the No. 1-ranked South Africa will be looking to justify their promotion and Australia must be on their game to contain Herschelle Gibbs and his team-mates. After that, any number of sides and individuals could hurt Australia. A destructive Gayle, a resurgent Sanath Jayasuriya, a fit-again Oram or a rejuvenated Sourav Ganguly are just a few of the countless threats. They have all taken notice of the last month and will want to prove they too can conquer the former masters.

Players at the Under-19 World Cup in Colombo are having their bowling actions filmed and assessed in order to try and spot any problems earlier enough so that they can be corrected. Dr Marc Portus, a human movement specialist with the Bowling Review Group (BRG), is travelling around the grounds collating footage.Javagal Srinath has also made a brief visit to Colombo in his capacity as a member of the BRG. He and Portus were part of the committee that upheld Shabbir Ahmed’s 12-month ban after he had appealed his case to the ICC.”It is more a preemptive move [being in Sri Lanka], to try and catch the actions while the bowlers are still young enough to work with,” Portus told Cricinfo during the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh. “We haven’t come out here with any blacklist of players to look for, our remit is just to watch as many as we can and report back. If there is anyone we think might have suspect action we will tell the board that it is probably worth looking at them.”Bowling actions are now assessed around the 15-degree limit imposed by the ICC. South Africa’s Johan Botha is the latest bowler to fall foul of the regulations, having his international abruptly halted when he was found to breach the limit following a report made during the third Test against Australia at Sydney.The new limit has come in for some criticism, opponents saying it could allow players with suspect actions to continue playing. However, Portus says that spotting 15 degrees of straightening is almost impossible to pick up without technology – in other words there would have been no questions raised about the action before this new ruling.”The thing is with the 15 degrees, is that it’s actually a very small margin. With the naked eye you probably wouldn’t be able to detect someone with a straightening of that amount, in other words the action would look fine. If an action appears dodgy to the naked eye it is generally going to be well passed that 15-degree margin, I’ve seen bowlers hit 30.”Portus explained that the ruling helps to accommodate the natural movement of the arm in bowling, something that doesn’t give any additional advantage. “Even the players who appear to have a completely sound action come up as something around seven, eight, nine or even 10 degrees. That’s really how the whole system started. Over about 18 months we filmed 20 bowlers in different match conditions and we produced 3D images and found that all of them were straightening to some extent. It’s a very rare occasion when it came up as zero or one.He also admitted that the development of the doosra is making the job harder, as it is very difficult to build up information. “The problem at the moment is we lack the match analysis of the delivery. When we do analysis in the field there is a much greater error factor, whereas in a control environment that is greatly reduce. But when bowlers perform in laboratories they know why they are there.”We try to reproduce match conditions but it is very difficult. You can’t recreate the situation of a final day in a Test when you are trying to win a match for your country. We are actually trying to develop technology at the moment, with the ICC, to allow us to come up with accurate 3D numbers from game situations, but it is a few years away yet.”

Ricky Ponting crushed New Zealand’s hopes of taking control in this Test© Getty Images

New Zealand’s hopes of tying the Test series rested on a counter attack from the lower-order batsmen on the second morning. Had that occurred, yesterday’s snail-pace scoring by the top order may have been overshadowed but New Zealand’s tail, so often a key strength, was again easy pickings for the Australians.On a fine Auckland day Nathan Astle and Brendon McCullum resumed at 199 for 5 and of those to come, only Chris Martin is without claims with the willow in hand. However the moment was again missed through a combination of indecisiveness, bad shots and poor umpiring.The final five wickets yielded just 93 runs, a figure inflated by Daniel Vettori’s unbeaten 41. While Vettori rockets towards the coveted No. 1 position for the next round of New Zealand player contracts, McCullum, especially, is treading water in defiance of his real ability.Shots of authority such as McCullum’s brilliant pull for four off Glenn McGrath were mixed with plays-and-misses and no-mans-land prods against a consistent rather than relentless Australian opening burst.Astle’s soft dismissal to a ball in no danger of hitting his stumps belied his Test-veteran status and while McCullum needed to play at McGrath, he did so with bat away from pad. If Vettori, at the non-strikers end, had been annoyed to see McCullum depart, he would have been justifiably irate when James Franklin was genuinely unlucky to be given out.So with two bad shots and one regrettable decision it was another session to Australia. One session soon became two as Ricky Ponting dismantled the New Zealand attack.When Stephen Fleming opted for Astle’s medium pace after nine overs, Matthew Hayden never let him settle. On the two occasions Chris Martin erred in length in his opening spell, Ponting dispatched him over the fence and the scene for the afternoon was set.On the first day New Zealand had totalled 142 runs at tea: today Australia rattled on 143 between lunch and tea. When Ponting went past 100 in a scarcely believable 104 balls those that blinked would have been forgiven for thinking they’d missed something, such was the skill of Ponting’s accumulation.There were the big shots – Franklin and Vettori were both sent over the ropes – but, just as much as Australia’s bowling was a routine effort, Ponting’s breathtaking century was a blinder. Perhaps it was not as destructive as the mayhem fans have come to associate with Adam Gilchrist, but it certainly appeared as though Ponting was on a mission to bat New Zealand out of the game. That is something he may well have achieved.

Bruce for bowling coach? © Getty Images

The Indians have sought the services of Bruce Reid as bowling coach during their 84-day tour of Australia. According to a report by the Press Trust of India, the request has already been passed on to the Indian board, and a decision on the matter is expected on Sunday, when the working committee of the board meets in New Delhi.The report also says that Reid has already been approached by John Wright and is ready to work with the Indian bowlers, and the only issue that needs sorting out is the financial terms.Reid, who has been credited for the phenomenal rise of Nathan Bracken, performed a similar role during Zimbabwe’s tour to Australia earlier this year. With three out of India’s five seamers being left-armers, it is believed that Reid, who was a top-class left-arm fast bowler himself, would be the best man to help the Indians out. India go into the four-Test series with a highly inexperienced seam attack -Ajit Agarkar is the only one of the five who has played international cricket in Australia before.The decision to rope in a bowling coach might also have been prompted by India’s lacklustre performance in their tour-opener against Victoria, who hammered 518 against a toothless Indian attack, with Brad Hodge making a mammoth 264.

India wilted under sustained England pressure in the field as the tourists successfully defended a total of 250 in the second one-day international. From the seemingly comfortable heights of 99 for two, the hosts subsided to 234 all out as England won by 16 runs to level the six-match series at one-all. Paul Collingwood was made man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 71, which was the highest score of the day.Sourav Ganguly again won the toss and asked England to bat in the hope of extracting some morning moisture. In the event they began steadily, posting 75 for the loss of both openers in the first 15 overs. Marcus Trescothick, the hero at Kolkata, took two boundaries before Ajit Agarkar made the first breakthrough. Trescothick was fractionally late on a pull, giving Dinesh Mongia time to run behind the square leg umpire to take a straightforward catch.Nasser Hussain joined Nick Knight, and well-judged running between the right and left-handers kept the scoreboard ticking over. Hussain found the mid-wicket fence by pulling a marginally short ball from Agarkar. But it was the pull that lost England their second wicket, as Knight hit Srinath straight to Harbhajan Singh at deep mid-wicket.Hussain was missed on 36 as he edged Ganguly and Ajay Ratra couldn’t hang on to a thickish edge behind the stumps. The England captain then swept Harbhajan behind square to bring up the tourists’ hundred, and Michael Vaughan caught the mood next ball by pulling Ganguly handsomely over mid-wicket. After surviving a close run-out decision, Hussain inexplicably lost patience against Ganguly, holing out to Agarkar at deep mid-on. Vaughan restored the momentum with a handsome boundary through extra cover.Vaughan went to his half century (59 balls, 4 fours), with a sweep off Sachin Tendulkar, and Collingwood used his feet to clip Anil Kumble wide of mid-on for his second boundary. The 36th over went for ten runs, six of them coming off the first ball as Collingwood swung Tendulkar to square leg where Harbhajan, having caught the ball just inside the boundary, was unable to release it as he stepped back on to the rope.Vaughan was then needlessly run out after miscuing a reverse sweep. As the ball went towards square-leg he hesitated when there should have been a straightforward single, and was left short of his ground at the bowler’s end. Andy Flintoff followed for five, swinging across a full-length ball from Harbhajan to lose his off stump. Kumble then bowled Ben Hollioake through the gate, leaving England on 192 for six and in danger of squandering their solid start. Amid the adversity Collingwood was still able to reach his 50 in style, swinging Kumble over mid-wicket. Following up with a mid-wicket six off Agarkar, the Durham all-rounder went on to see England through to the 250 mark, assisted by Jeremy Snape and then James Foster.India made a perfect start to the chase as Ganguly dispatched Darren Gough twice to the backward point boundary in the first over. A flashing square drive off Matthew Hoggard took Tendulkar off the mark in the second. It was a ball of fuller length from Hoggard that made the breakthrough as Ganguly, with minimal foot movement, edged a straightforward catch to Knight at second slip. But India kept up the momentum as Tendulkar took boundaries through mid-wicket off Hoggard, then through extra-cover and back down the ground off Gough, who made way for Flintoff after four overs.Hussain constantly shuffled his attack, with Snape coming on in the 19th over and England increasingly desperate for a breakthrough. It came fortuitously when Tendulkar was run out by a deflection, Hollioake getting a fingertip to a drive by Mongia which hit the stumps with Tendulkar, backing up, stranded yards out of his ground.England broke through again when Laxman failed to make his ground as he attempted a single after Mongia had clipped the ball to Collingwood at backward-point. Virender Sehwag then failed to get on top of a pull, Knight taking a good, tumbling catch at short mid-wicket. At 121 for four India were wobbling. They had a let-off when Badani was missed by Foster, who was standing up to Collingwood and couldn’t gather cleanly as Badani went down the track.Foster soon redeemed himself by playing a key role in yet another run-out. Mongia, trying for a second to Matthew Hoggard at long leg, failed to ground his bat as Foster took the return one-handed to break the wicket with milli-seconds to spare. Hollioake struck next, as Badani skied a slower ball to wide mid-on, where Flintoff jubilantly held the catch.A double bowling change led to more England euphoria as Flintoff trapped Ratra in front for 30 with the first ball of his new spell. Harbhajan immediately swung the Lancastrian to the fence at long-on, but India descended further into the mire as Snape trapped him lbw sweeping. Agarkar and Kumble batted sensibly to keep flickering Indian hopes alive, but with four overs remaining and India’s last two wickets still needing 30, Hussain turned to Gough. The Yorkshireman did the trick for his skipper with his 150th wicket in one-day internationals; Kumble slogged at a slower ball and Collingwood did wonderfully well to take a running catch over his shoulder at mid-wicket.Gough eventually finished it in the 49th over as Agarkar got a thin edge to Foster. England had triumphed amid the tension, and the series is still very much alive.

The first day of cricket at the island’s newest first-class venue wasone in which both Barbados and South Africa ‘A’will claim some degreeof satisfaction.Having only arrived in the Caribbean four days earlier, the visitorsadapted well to the conditions and were making fine progress up untilthe evening session at the lovely setting of the Windward Club groundin Lucas Street. St. Philip.A new-look Barbados team, featuring seven debutants, might have beenslightly worried when South Africa ‘A’reached 213 for four inside thefinal hour. But, as so often happens in cricket, one unlikelydismissal changed the course of the match.Dale Benkenstein, no stranger to Barbados as he once served a stintwith Wanderers, had just completed a solid half-century and was wellset when he was prised out by an outstanding piece of fielding byShirley Clarke.The South Africa ‘A’captain, whose polished 57 was made with hardlyany bother from 141 balls in three hours’ batting, was run out at thebowler’s end by a direct throw from Clarke at mid-on.The dismissal ended a fifth-wicket partnership of 67 betweenBenkenstein and Ashwell Prince, who ended the day unbeaten on 57, andlaunched a Barbados fightback.On the whole, the hosts were able to restrict the scoring after teawhen 89 runs were scored in comparison to the 125 that came in thesecond session.The revival was instigated by fast bowler Hattian Graham, whoseperformance up to then was somewhat indifferent.He claimed the second wicket of the day with a fine delivery that tookthe edge of left-handed teenager Graeme Smith’s bat for a catch to the’keeper.During the pre-tea session, Graham was off line on occasions, but hedid well to hit back with a double strike in the dying stages.He won a leg before verdict against the tall right-hander Justin Kemp,but there was no doubt about the dismissal of Robin Peterson, who wasembarrassed when he offered no stroke and had his stumps disturbed.It meant that three wickets had gone by for the addition of 16 runsand the close of play total of 240 for seven was one which Barbadoswould feel reasonably happy with after they opted to field first onwinning the toss in overcast conditions.It was a relief to the fair-size crowd that as many as 77 overs weredelivered during the day.The dark clouds that hovered to the east of the ground and a lightdrizzle were enough to delay the start by an hour-and-a-quarter.The sun, however, made its presence felt for most of the day and thebatting of the South Africans was impressive against a bowling attackthat appeared to lack depth.There were many who felt that Ryan Hinds, a specialist batsman anddecent part-time left-arm spinner, should not have been given the roleof fourth-choice bowler.Both he and Shirley Clarke, who trundles off-breaks, were required tobowl as many as 30 overs between them. Mind you, they did so fairlytidily, and Hinds struck a blow with his third ball by removing thedengerous opener Doug Watson.The 26-year-old Watson, who averaged nearly 50 in the 1999-2000 SouthAfrican first-class season, cracked seven boundaries in making 30before Hinds deceived him in flight and bowled him an hour afterlunch.By then, Justin Ontong had already reeled a few exciting front-footstrokes and continued to play with authority until he gifted his hand15 minutes before tea.The 20-year-old arrived at his half-century at a run-a-ball before hewas bowled by left-arm fast bowler Ian Bradshaw.Bradshaw was the best of the Barbados bowlers on the day and deservedmore than two wickets.