Schoolboy's riser brings Jonty Rhodes to his knees
Fakir Hassen
Ace South African fielder Jonty
Rhodes caused a
scare when he fell in pain after being hit on the left arm by a
ball bowled
by a schoolboy during a practice session here.
Rhodes disappeared from the session for a short while after
Franswa Malan of
the Waterkloof High School bowled a riser that hit Rhodes
squarely on his
arm.
Rhodes immediately fell to his knees and cried out with pain,
then stormed
out of the nets to place an icepack on the arm. He was later
declared fit
for the second one-day international against India in a
triangular series at
Centurion later Wednesday. Kenya is the third country.
The South African team traditionally allows bowlers from schools,
cricket
clubs and academies to participate with their heroes in practice
sessions.
For Malan, it will be an unforgettable experience.
"The ball that I sent his (Rhodes') way began climbing sharply
from a good
length. He tried to duck, but the ball hit him on the forearm," a
distraught
Malan said.
"I first thought that Rhodes was just joking when he fell, but
then I
immediately apologised. He told me that I should not worry about
it as
these things happen in cricket."
South African captain Shaun Pollock said later that Rhodes just
had a bruise
on his arm and would definitely play Wednesday.
In another incident Tuesday, batsman Gary Kirsten who was the man
of the
match in the first game against India last Friday was sent
reeling in the
nets after being hit on the head. He brushed off the concern of
his opening
partner, Herschelle Gibbs, and continued practice.
India, meanwhile, looks set to exclude either Venkatesh Prasad or
Javagal
Srinath in Wednesday's day-night match. The two veteran bowlers
were among
those captain Saurav Ganguly and coach John Wright blamed for
India's six
wicket defeat by the South Africans last week.
Cricket commentators here have speculated that India will
sacrifice one of
the seamers in favour of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. They
believe Singh and
leg spinner Anil Kumble will still prove to be the team's best
assets on the
two-month long tour that also includes a Test series.
On the South African side, Nicky Boje is back in the national
squad after a
five-month absence due to injury.
India's tour of South Africa : Complete coverage
--Indo-Asian News Service
Mail Cricket Editor
