CAPE TOWN, Feb 8 (AFP): Shaun Pollock''s South Africa begin their World Cup campaign here Sunday aiming to break the jinx that has never seen the host nation win the title. The pressure of playing before home crowds obviously took its toll in the previous seven editions of cricket''s greatest event, but Pollock hopes it will be different this time. "I know we carry the whole nation''s expectations but we must not be haunted by the fact that no host has ever lifted the cup," Pollock said ahead of Sunday''s opener against the West Indies. "If we play up to potential we could be the first. "We don''t underestimate our opponents and in recent months the West Indies have played good cricket but I hope the boys will be right up there at the start." England hosted the first three World Cups, their best finish being the runners-up spot in 1979 when they lost to the West Indies in the final. When Asian rivals India and Pakistan co-hosted the next tournament in 1983, they bowed out in the semi- finals. Australia won the title in India in 1987 and Pakistan followed suit when the next edition was held in Australia and New Zealand four years later. Sri Lanka beat the world when the tournament returned to the Indian sub-continent in 1996, but strictly speaking Ranatunga''s men played the final in Pakistan, not at home in Colombo. England, which hosted the last edition in 1999, were knocked out in the preliminary round itself. "The pressure of being the host is always enormous and it tends to be a problem throughout the event," said Imran Khan, Pakistan''s World Cup winning captain in 1992. Former South African captain Kepler Wessels is, however, confident the "ghost of the host" will not haunt Pollock''s men. "Under that kind of pressure you can get tentative, but South Africa has the best combination in the tournament and that is not going to happen," Wessels said. The Proteas have the example of their rugby team to encourage them - Francois Pienaar''s men won the rugby World Cup which South Africa hosted in 1995. Former South African allrounder Pat Symcox is confident South Africa are brave enough not to succumb. "You have to be brave and the players we have picked are those kind of players, and we hope the pressure of being the hosts will not affect their performance," said Symcox. India''s captain Sourav Ganguly, however, gives little importance to history. Veteran Pakistani Wasim Akram, preparing for his fifth World Cup, believes winning the first game will be crucial for South Africa. "If they don''t win I will feel the ghost of hosts has bitten them from the start." Feature: Past battles South Africa have won 14 of the 17 one-day games between the two sides, most recently winning the series 5-2 in the Caribbean two years ago. But to date, the home side''s Cup preparations have been blighted by inconsistency. They crumbled to an embarrassing defeat in their opening warm-up game before two overwhelming victories. Vice-captain Mark Boucher, though, is unperturbed. He said, "It does not bother me that we are not 100per cent at the moment, as long as we build and peak at the right time." The West Indies, on paper, look to have a weaker bowling attack, led by Mervyn Dillon and Vasbert Drakes, neither of whom have been devastating on the world stage. Where they look likeliest to trouble their hosts in the day-night game at Newlands is in their batting. Captain Carl Hooper is already hitting timely form, after a confident half-century in a recent warm-up match. Brian Lara has finally returned to the side after a mystery illness and memories of his 111 against India to steer his country into the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup could yet inspire. Pollock is among those wary of Lara''s potential impact. Key battles: South Africa v West Indies He said, "Since his (Lara''s) illness the responsibility for winning matches and holding innings together has shifted to other batsmen and they seem to be responding. "Now that he''s back it just makes them an even stronger unit." Even before Lara or Hooper enter the fray in any game, the Windies boast openers Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle. Gayle smashed three centuries in one-day games against India last year at a strike rate of 94.8 runs per 100 balls. And Hinds proved equally adept in the series, hitting 80 off 61 balls. What could prove the decider, however, is the toss. In the 14 day-night games at Newlands, only three teams have won batting second. Teams: South Africa- S Pollock (capt), M Boucher, N Boje, B Dippenaar, ADonald, H Gibbs, A Hall, J Kallis, G Kirsten, L Klusener, C Langeveldt, M Ntini,R Peterson, J Rhodes, M Zondeki. West Indies- C Hooper (capt), R Jacobs, S Chanderpaul, P Collins, CCollymore, M Dillon, V Drakes, C Gayle, W Hinds, B Lara, J Lawson, N McLean, RPowell, M Samuels/R Hinds, R Sarwan.

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An all-round performance by veteran Enamul Haq Moni enabled Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) to earn a 39-run victory over Brothers Union in the GrameenPhone Premier Division Cricket League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Saturday, reports UNB. This was the third victory for title contender the MSC in four matches while Brothers Union (BU) suffered third defeat in same number of matches. Batting at number nine Enamul Haq Moni scored valuable 33 runs off 32 balls and later picked up three wickets for 29 runs in 10 overs to be adjudged man of the match. Mohammedan SC, sent into bat first, scored 219 runs for seven wickets in stipulated 50 overs riding on an unbeaten 80-run partnership between Enamul Haq and Fahim Muntasir Sumit. Number eight Sumit remained not out with 52 runs off 51 balls that saw five fours and a six while wicket- keeper Anwar Hossain contributed 51 runs off 84 balls hitting five fours. Opener Javed Omar Belim Gulla was another notable scorer with 41 runs off 77 deliveries that included six hits to the fence. In reply, Brothers Union were all out for 180 runs in 48.1 overs with Halim Shah making team highest 38 runs off 62 balls and Mahbubur Rahman 35 off 65 balls. Besides Moni’s three-wicket haul, Pakistani Shahed Mehmud took two wickets conceding 40 runs in 9.1 overs. Brief score: Mohammedan SC- 219/7 in 50 overs, Gulla 41, Nafis Iqbal 2, Aftab 1, Durjoy 0, Anwar 51, Shahed 16, Nannu 12, Sumit 52 n.o., Moni 33 n.o., extras 11, Kabir 1/17, Iqbal 1/47, Sohel Rana 1/44. Brothers Union- 180/10 in 48.1 overs, Mosharraf 14, Sanjoy 13, Gazi Salauddin 27, Halim Shah 38, Mahbubur 35, Shamimul Haq 1, Mostakim 11, Kabir 1, Iqbal 7, Sohel 10 n.o., Murshed Ali Khan Sumon 3, extras 20, Ashiq 1/22, Durjoy 1/38, Moni 3/29, Shahed 2/40. Biman Bangladesh suffered their third defeat in the GrameenPhone Premier Division Cricket League going down by seven wickets against Uttara SC at the Fatullah Stadium Saturday. Uttara Sporting Club continued their good going in the league as they registered their third win in four matches while the national flag career team managed only one win from same number of outings. A batting collapse forced Biman to swallow the heavy defeat as they were booked for 131 runs in 39.2 overs after they were sent into bat first. Shafiul Alam Sabuj and Sumon Barua of Uttara shared six wickets to demolish the Biman’s formidable batting lineup. Sabuj captured three for 32 runs in 7 overs while Sumon three for 38 in 9.2 overs. Golam Mortuza was the top scorer with 37 runs off 68 balls featuring three fours while former national skipper Aminul Islam Bulbul added 30 off 34 balls that saw four boundaries. Chasing a paltry total, Uttara Sporting Club easily reached the target making 135 runs for 3 in 23.2 overs riding on a 56-run knock by Moniruzzaman Tinku who faced 47 balls hammering ten boundaries. Tinku was adjudged man of the match. Brief score: Biman Bangladesh- 131/10 in 39.2 overs, Athar Ali 1, Shaon 7, Jahangir 13, Mortuza 37, Bulbul 30, Jharu 2, Shariful 7, Rupom 7, Rubel 9, Anisur 3, Bhola 0 n.o., extras 15, Debabrata 2/22, Ruman 1/24, Shabuj 3/32, Sumon 3/38, Monirul 1/6. Uttara SC- 135/3 in 23.2 overs, Tinku 56, Abir 10, Nayeem Nafis 14 (Rtd) n.o, Sumon 9, Dickence 26 n.o., Rashed Rana 12 n.o., extras 8, Anisur 1/40, Shariful 1/23, Rubel 1/38.

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CAPE TOWN, Feb 8 (AFP): England''s cricketers have put off until Sunday a decision about whether or not to play their controversial World Cup opener against Zimbabwe in Harare on February 13. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tim Lamb and chairman David Morgan will continue discussions throughout Saturday with the players and their representatives, said an ECB statement. "There will be no further public comment on this issue today. At this stage, it is envisaged that a media conference will be held Sunday morning in Cape Town," said the statement. England, who are in Cape Town for the opening ceremony of the World Cup later Saturday, have now cancelled their scheduled 7.30am local time (0530GMT) flight to Harare Sunday. It appeared that the length of any possible England stay in Zimbabwe was one of the sticking points to a resolution to the crisis while senior tournament sources suggested the players might yet perform a U-turn and go ahead with the match. On Friday, World Cup commissioner Justice Albie Sachs rejected England''s appeal to relocate the match on safety grounds leaving the team to decide whether to play the match or boycott the fixture, so losing World Cup points and risking a heavy fine. Last month the England team issued a statement calling for their match to be moved to South Africa claiming the players were all "greatly concerned about the moral, political and safety issues" involved in going ahead with a match in famine-threatened Zimbabwe. England great Fred Trueman told AFP that if the team boycotted the fixture they would have his "full backing". "With that barbaric regime running a once such beautiful country, England travelling there might be seen as upholding what''s happening. "Losing four points would make them even more determined to do well," explained Trueman, the first man to take 300 Test wickets. Trueman''s old county colleague and ex-England captain Brian Close also said Nasser Hussain''s men should refuse to go to Zimbabwe. "I wouldn''t play there if I were still a player," said Close, who also expressed concern about possible protests by opponents of President Robert Mugabe. Recalling his own experiences after England were plunged into controversy following then captain Mike Gatting''s infamous on-field row with umpire Shakoor Rana in Pakistan in 1987, Emburey said much would now depend on the team''s elder statesmen. "My experience then and since was that the attitude of the senior players was crucial. "Young players don''t tend to stand up and speak out in team meetings. They are carried along by what the senior players do." Meanwhile, former England coach David Lloyd warned the team they would be in for a tough contest if the game went ahead.

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CAPE TOWN, Feb 8 (AFP): India''s cricket captain Sourav Ganguly gave World Cup team-mates a scare Saturday when he woke up with a viral infection and sore throat five days before their first match. But Ganguly braved the fever to attend the traditional meeting of managers and captains of all 14 teams called by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to discuss tournament rules. "Sourav looked quite bad when he got up this morning, but insisted he will attend the meeting," team official Amrit Mathur told the news agency. "In fact, manager Jyoti Bajpai had prepared vice-captain Rahul Dravid to go for the meeting, but the captain wanted to go himself." Ganguly was also confident he will be fit to play India''s first match against the Netherlands at Boland Park, Paarl Wednesday, Mathur said. The World Cup officially gets underway later Saturday with a two-hour opening ceremony at Newlands, the venue of Sunday''s first match between hosts South Africa and the West Indies.

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JOHANNESBURG, Feb 8 (AFP): Pakistan''s World Cup manager Shaharyar Khan Saturday played down reports that he had sanctioned a personal doctor to look after fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. The Pakistani media has slammed the special treatment meted out to the mercurial paceman after sports medicine expert Tauseef Razzaq was added to the squad on Shoaib''s request. "It''s totally wrong to believe that Shoaib is being treated by a separate doctor, but yes he is someone special on the field," Khan, a former diplomat said. "Since Shoaib bowls so fast and his limbs come under so much pressure, doctors pay more attention to him but it is not that Razzaq works only on him. "Razzaq is there for all the players," Khan insisted even though another doctor Riaz Ahmed and Australian physiotherapist Dennis Waight are already with the squad. Razzaq is on the medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which has been kept busy over the last 12 months following injuries to top players like Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul Haq and Saeed Anwar. Before the squad left for South Africa, former captain Imran Khan criticized the inclusion of extra support staff, but Razzaq was fully backed by PCB chairman Tauqir Zia. "Shoaib is an asset and Razzaq has worked wonders on him," Zia said last month. "I am very satisfied with the doctor''s work." Shoaib, one of the world''s fastest bowlers, is being seen as a key weapon in Pakistan''s World Cup campaign. Australian captain Ricky Ponting and prolific opener Matthew Hayden said this week that Shoaib had to be tackled well if the defending champions were to win Tuesday''s key game at the Wanderers. The temperamental Shoaib''s erratic behaviour has often worried the team''s administrators. He reportedly walked out on the team before the Morocco Cup in August last year to play village cricket in England. He also missed Pakistan''s two Tests against South Africa late last year due to injury, but instead of returning home for treatment he attented a function for visiting Indian film stars in Durban. Shoaib, however, remains unperturbed by the off-field controversy. "As long as I am doing my best for the team, the rest doesn''t matter and does not bother me."

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JOHANNESBURG, Feb 8 (AFP): It''s going to be a family affair at the Harare Sports Club Monday when first-timers Namibia begin their World Cup campaign against hosts Zimbabwe. Lining up will be the Flower brothers, the Kotze brothers and the Burger brothers, the first instance in World Cup history where three sets of brothers will be involved in one match. Andy and Grant Flower have been part of Zimbabwe cricket for more then a decade with left-hander Andy widely regarded as one of the most prolific run-getters in the contemporary game. Little, however, is known about the Kotze and Burger siblings from Namibia. Deon Kotze, a powerful middle-order batsman, leads Namibia while younger brother, Bjorn opens the bowling. Louis and Sarel Burger are both batsmen. There is another Burger in the team, Jan-Berry, but he is not related to Louis and Sarel. And that''s not all that is unique about the Namibian team. When opening bowler Rudi van Vuuren sends down his first delivery Monday, he will create history as the first man to play in both the rugby and cricket World Cups. Van Vuuren was part of the Namibian rugby team at the last World Cup in England four years ago and is regarded a certainity for the next one in Australia in October. Away from the sporting fields, Van Vuuren is a doctor treating AIDS patients across his homeland. "It never gets any easier," he was quoted as saying recently. "If it wasn''t for sport I would be a very agitated person." Namibia also have the oldest player at this World Cup - 43-year-old spinner Lennie Louw. For a nation that gained independence only in 1990, and boasts just 17 cricket clubs in and around the capital Windhoek, Namibia has done well to make it so far. They qualified for the World Cup by reaching the final of the ICC Trophy in Canada two years ago. Kotze''s men went to Canada as rank outsiders, and returned to a hero''s welcome from 1,000 jubliant fans at Windhoek airport after narrowly losing out in the final to the Netherlands. World Cup boss Ali Bacher of South Africa said then the Namibian cricketers were the biggest thing to happen to that country since Olympic sprinter Frankie Fredericks. Captain Kotze, however, stressed his team was not here at the World Cup just to make up the numbers. It was no empty boast as Namibia warmed up for their biggest cricket test by winning both their practice matches against South African provincial teams. That is more than what both India and Pakistan achieved in the run-up to cricket''s showpiece which opens later Saturday. "Its a big moment for the team as most of us have only seen the World Cup on television," team manager Francois Erasmus said. "We have really been enouraged by the support of people back home. We have nothing to lose, so the boys will just go out there, enjoy themselves and play good cricket." Win or lose, Namibia are set for a memorable World Cup debut.

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SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters): Australia have taken an unbeatable 3-0 lead against Britain in their first round Davis Cup tie after winning the doubles on Saturday. The victory gives Australia a quarterfinal berth against either Sweden or Brazil. World number one singles player Lleyton Hewitt and doubles specialist Todd Woodbridge took two hours to beat the unheralded combination of Miles Maclagan and Arvind Parmar 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-2. Maclagan and Parmar were part of an under- strength British team patched together to replace the injured Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis swept to comfortable victories in their opening singles rubbers played on Friday on the clay court venue at Sydney''s Olympic Park. Hewitt, ranked 221 in doubles, said he was still coming to grips with playing the doubles, which is all important under the Davis Cup format. "I am not as comfortable on the doubles court as the singles, obviously," the 21 year old said. "It''s tough to enjoy." Australia''s hopes of a straight sets victory on Saturday were undone when the British duo briefly awakened in the third set and won the set, something that most pundits did not expect would happen during the entire tie. Parmar on several occasions used his lanky 6''4" (1.92 metres) frame to slam winners, but far too infrequently to slow the Australian onslaught. Sunday''s reverse singles matches, which are now dead rubbers, will be reduced to best of three sets instead of five.

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BARCELONA, Feb 8 (Reuters): Barcelona president Joan Gaspart announced on Friday that he would present his resignation to a general assembly of the club on March 1 and that elections to choose a successor would be held at the end of the season. "The time has come because of the situation facing the club that I have had to take a very difficult decision," Gaspart told a news conference on Friday. "I will inform the club members on March 1 of my intention to renounce my position as president." He said that after his resignation, vice-president Enric Reyna would occupy his post until elections were held at the beginning of June.

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