As we get into the final stages of preparation to stage the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, Flair concludes the innings on captains of the participating teams. In the first over, we looked at the careers of eight captains. (See Monday January 29). This final over looks at the other captains of the participating teams.
Sri Lanka/Mahela Jayawardene
A fine technician with an excellent temperament, Jayawardene's exciting arrival in 1997 heralded the start of a new era for Sri Lanka's middle order.
His career reached ne in 2006 when he was named captain. He led a 5-0 one-day whitewash over England and then scored a Sri Lankan record 374 against South Africa. He added 624 for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara - a first-class record. Jayawardene is the best batsman the island had produced since Sanath Jayasuriya (the man whose record Jayawardene broke) and his rich talent fuelled towering expectations.
Perhaps mindful of his first Test, when he went out to bat against India at Colombo in 1997 with the scoreboard reading 790 for four, he soon developed an appetite for big scores. His 66 then was followed by a masterful 167 on a difficult wicket in Galle versus New Zealand in his fourth match. A marathon 242 against India followed in his seventh test.
However, after a prolific period from 2000 to early-2002, his form became more patchy. His declining productivity in the one-day game was particularly alarming that was partly explained by his shuffling up and down the order. He suffered a run drought during the 2003 World Cup and was dropped immediately after.
However, he soon regained his confidence and benefited from a stable batting position at number four after the retirement of Aravinda de Silva. A good Test series against England was followed by a high-scoring run in 2004. He was appointed vice-captain of the one-day side for the second time in his career in 2003 and has been named by the selectors as captain.
Jayawardene was given a chance to show what he brought to the captaincy when Atapattu was hit by back problems and he was named captain for the 2006 tour of England. He produced a stunning double of 61 and 119 at Lord's as Sri Lanka pulled off an amazing comeback to save the match.
Scotland/Craig Wright
Scotland captain Craig Wright appeals for the dismissal of Canada's Qaiser Ali during a World Cricket League match in Kenya last month. - Contributed
Craig Wright was born 28 April 1974 in Paisley, Scotland.
He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler and is the current captain of the Scottish national team. He made his debut for Scotland in a match against Ireland on August 9, 1997. He has played more than 100 times for Scotland, including six one-day internationals againstIreland, The Nether-lands, Bangladesh, Kenya and Canada.
Ireland/David Trent Johnston
Ireland's cricket captain David Trent Johnston in action. - Contributed
A strapping right-arm fast bowler, Trent Johnston made a steady start to his New South Wales (NSW) career in 1998-99 after being chosen on the strength of his efforts in heading the wicket-taking lists twice in successive Sydney grade seasons.
Unfortunately, he fell out of favour with the NSW selectors after taking only six wickets in five matches, and didn't appear again after the 1999-2000 season. He continued to do well in grade cricket, though, and in October 2003, took a hat-trick for Mosman against Sydney University, when his victims included the Test opener Michael Slater. He turned up playing for Ireland in Britain's Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy in 2004.
Luuk van Troost/The Netherlands
Luuk van Troost watches a delivery go through to the wicketkeeper as The Netherlands took on Canada in a World Cricket League match in January of this year. - Contributed
Van Troost is primarily a middle-order batsma in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa he opened the batting against Australia (hitting 23 from 33 balls). His left-arm medium pace has served his side well over the years providing good variation to the Dutch attack. In the last year his batting has been more productive than his bowling as he averaged 44.66 in the World Cricket League with a highest score of 86. His brother Andr was a fierce left-arm quick bowler who played for Somerset in England. He is headmaster of a school for special education in Holland.
Canada/John Davison
John Davison is a right-arm offspinner, defiant lower-order batsman (or opening pinch-hitter) and polished fieldsman who has made a significant impact as a cricketer in Canada and Australia. He started his representative career in Melbourne, but struggled to become a significant wicket-taker and was never quite able to cement a regular place in Victoria's team. In 1999, Davison was sounded out to spend his winters in North America in a role as a club player and coach - and potentially a long-term member of the Canadian national team.
He was also included in several Canadian sides, including the one that landed the country a cherished berth in the 2003 World Cup when it rode an emotional wave of home- town support to finish third behind Holland and Namibia in the 2001 International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy tournament in Toronto.
At the 2003 World Cup, he emerged as a star. He stunned the West Indies with the fastest World Cup century in history, clubbing half a dozen sixes in a brilliant 111. He followed this up with the third-fastest World Cup 50 against New Zealand, making most runs and taking most wickets for Canada in the tournament.
In the summer of 2004, after a good season with the Victoria team in Australia, he returned to Canada to captain the national team. In their first first-class match for more than 50 years against the U.S.A. in the ICC's Intercontinental Cup, he created history by taking 17 for 137, the best since Jim Laker in 1956, and hitting 84 as Canada won by 104 runs.
New Zealand/Stephen Fleming
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. - Reuters
Maturity as a player and as a leader has finally brought rewards for New Zealand's longest-serving - and most successful - Test match captain, Stephen Fleming. A stint with Middlesex in 2001 laid the foundation for a successful re-evaluation of his batting methods where the inabi-lity to convert half-centuries to centuries did no justice to his quality.
But after a breakout innings of 134 not out to steer New Zealand to a classy World Cup victory over South Africa, along with another spell in county cricket with Yorkshire, Fleming confirmed his greater batting consistency with a career-highest 274 not out against Sri Lanka in the first Test of their 2003 series. He followed that with an equally impressive 192 at Hamilton against Pakistan later that year and was named New Zealand's cricketer of the year in 2004.
The date 26 October, 2004, will remain in Fleming's memory, as he gained three New Zealand Test records in facing the Bangladesh attack at Chittagong. First, his 87th Test earned him the record for most matches won by a New Zealander and, in striding to the crease for the 150th time, this was the greatest number of Test innings for New Zealand. And, as he moved to 81, in an inning where he would strike 202, he surpassed Martin Crowe's record aggregate of 5,444 runs in tests for New Zealand.
He launched his first book, Balance of Power in December 2004, and in the following season, captained Nottinghamshire to their first county title since 1987. He had a benign tumour removed from his face in December 2005, during Australia's one-day tour of New Zealand. The following May he made his 100th-Test appearance against South Africa.
Bangladesh/Habibul Bashar
Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar celebrates his team's 5-0 sweep over Zimbabwe in a one-day series last year. - Contributed
Impish and impulsive, Habibul Bashar has the style and strokes of a genuine Test player. Most of his runs come from cultured drives through mid-wicket, and most of his dismissals from an addiction to the hook shot. He has carried Bangladesh's flimsy middle-order hopes, and inherited the captaincy from Khaled Mahmud in January 2004. After a shaky start in Zimbabwe, he came into his own with a century in St. Lucia, as Bangladesh took a first-innings lead in their first Test in the Caribbean.
He missed the Champions Trophy in England with an injured thumb. Overall, he has underperformed in ODIs for such an attacking player, but returned to captain in England in 2005. Habibul's greatest moment as captain came a few weeks later at Cardiff, with a convincing five-wicket win over Australia in the NatWest Series. However, normal service resumed in September in Sri Lanka, where Bangladesh was beaten in both Tests and one-dayers. That he topped the Test averages was little consolation for Habibul, who called the tour his "worst ever".
Zimbabwe/Prosper Utseya
An offspinner with real promise, Prosper Utseya, was unexpectedly thrust into the Zimbabwe national team against Sri Lanka at the age of 19 when the rebel players withdrew, but was not given the chance to bat or bowl on his debut and it soon became clear that he was considered by the selectors a one-day specialist. Despite being given an extensive run in the side, he failed to make a mark with either bat or ball.
However, he really came to prominence in the Caribbean in 2006 when his mature bowling was a rare highlight for the Zimbabweans. His flight and ability to turn the ball were widely praised and his economy rate was at times remarkable. It was, nevertheless, a surprise when he was appointed captain for the series against Bangladesh in July 2006.
Like many other young black players, he was first introduced to the game at Chipembere Primary School in the Harare township of Highfield, and won a ZCU scholarship to Churchill High School. He played for Takashinga Sports Club first team since the second form and made his first-class debut for Mashonaland just before his 16th birthday, scoring a 50 in his second match. In 2003-04, he was assigned to Manicaland to strengthen the provincial side and was selected for the CFX Academy in 2004.
