Cricket

Rebuilding on pitch nearly destroyed by spat off it

 While a series of fine performances on the pitch restored faith in the game, a public spat between India and the International Cricket Council nearly destroyed it again.

 But there was positive news in Canada as the national team finished third in the ICC Trophy in Toronto to win a place at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. It will mark Canada's first appearance at the World Cup since 1979, although as the year drew to a close the Canadian team was still looking for a sponsor.

 On the field, even the death at 92 of Don Bradman didn't stop Australia from continuing its dominance. Steve Waugh's team won a record 16 Test matches in a row and captured the Ashes series 4-1 against England for a record-equalling seventh time in a row.

 South Africa recovered from the humiliation of its former captain Hansie Cronje triggering the bribery scandal by beating Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Zimbabwe and India.

 By the end of the year, South Africa was involved in a three-match series with Australia to decide the best team in the world. The Aussies, with leg-spinner Shane Warne in standout form, won the first Test comfortably and impressively. The next two Tests are at Melbourne Dec. 26-30 and Sydney Jan 2-6.

 Australia had dominated the Test championship since it was created in May. But in drawing its three-Test series with visiting New Zealand in December, Australia forced a showdown with South Africa for first year honours.

 Cricket was one of the first sports affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Two days afterward, New Zealand called off its September tour of Pakistan, forcing the ICC to considered hosting Tests in neutral venues.

 After the subsequent bombing of Afghanistan, five England players spent a week deciding if they should tour India in December. Security fears kept two of them -- Andy Caddick and Robert Croft -- from touring.

 But it was India's tour to South Africa that threatened to throw cricket into chaos and derail the England tour.

 After South Africa won the first Test, match referee Mike Denness -- a former England captain -- disciplined six Indian players in the second Test in Port Elizabeth on Nov. 19, which ended in a draw.

 Sachin Tendulkar was given a suspended one-Test ban and fined 75 per cent of his match fees for picking at the ball. Harbhajan Singh, Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sundar Das were fined and received suspended one-Test sentences for excessive appealing. Skipper Sourav Ganguly was also handed a suspended ban for failing to control his players. But Virender Sehwag was given a one-Test ban for excessive appealing.

 India reacted with outrage. Government ministers wanted the India team recalled, protest marches were held and effigies of Denness burned.

 When both countries decided to remove Denness from officiating the third Test in South Africa, the ICC stripped the match of official status. India maintained the match was still a Test and Sehwag, who sat out the South Africa match, was eligible for the England game.

 As Indian cricket board chief Jaghoman Dalmiya continued to publicly question the authority of the ICC, England said it would refuse to play if the match was unofficial.

 After days of intensive telephone diplomacy, peace was declared. India withdrew Sehwag after the ICC agreed to set up a referees commission to examine the decisions made by Denness against India. The move was ahead of ICC plans to restructure umpires and referees to make them more professional.

 In March, Australia came within one wicket from winning its first series in India since Bill Lawry led Australia to 3-1 victory in 1970. India had lost the first Test by 10 wickets in three days, but came back to play some astonishing cricket to win the next two Tests and end Australia's record run of 16 Test matches without loss.

 A new Indian star was found in off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, the 20-year-old who took 32 wickets in the series, 28 of them in the last two Tests. V.V.S. (Vangipurappu) Laxman became India's highest individual innings scorer in Test cricket with his 281 that turned the second Test.

 Australia then moved on to England for the Ashes series. England had found form with wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan and at home against the West Indies and Zimbabwe the year before.

 The host was also boosted by coming from behind to notch a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka -- a series that was highlighted by the bowling out of the hosts for 81 in the final Test.

 Having won the first Test, England drew 1-1 with touring Pakistan before Australia arrived, but soon capitulated to Australia's bowling attack of Glenn McGrath and Warne.

 Australia's dominance of world cricket was nearly upended by New Zealand late in the year. After two rain-affected draws, the Kiwis set a world-record 440 target on the final day of the third Test in Perth.

 Adam Gilchrist and Jason Gillespie launched the bold bid -- but Australia finished at 381 for seven and drew the series. That saved Australia from losing its first home series since the 1992-93 visit of the West Indies.

 Sri Lanka cricket strengthened in 2001. Bouncing back after its series loss to England, Sri Lanka beat India 2-1 in September to end a sixteen-month spell without a Test series win. It was also Sri Lanka's first win over India in 16 years.

 It followed that with a 3-0 win over the West Indies in December -- its first ever clean sweep. Captain Sanath Jayasuriya hailed the win as one of the finest performances by Sri Lanka.

 Paceman Chaminda Vaas took 14 wickets in the final Test to record the second-best figures in Sri Lanka's 20-year Test history and then took 8 for 19 as Zimbabwe was bowled out for a lowest-ever one-day score of 38.

 Cricket lost one of its legends in 2001 when Bradman died on Feb. 25 at the age of 92. Bradman, regarded as probably cricket's best batsman, retired in 1948 with an unrivalled Test average of 99.94.

 His last match came at The Oval in south London, when he went into his final innings needing just four runs for a career average of 100. He was bowled without scoring while facing his second ball.