Date-stamped : 02 Sep94 - 14:30 England tour decision clashes unnecessarily with the season's finale There are two ways of looking at the South African tour, which ended its international phase yesterday with a second successive limited-overs defeat by England and the loss of the Texaco Tro- phy. One is that the team failed to capitalise on their 356-run victory at Lord's; proved hopelessly inadequate against Devon Malcolm at the Oval; and devoid of inspiration, except in field- ing, in the two one-day games. The other is that for a country which had been isolated from all Test cricket for 22 years, the win at Lord's was an amazing performance; that the subsequent resilience under considerable pressure at Headingley was admir- able; and that the players generally conducted themselves throughout in a manner worthy of their cricketing traditions. Kepler Wessels and his team, indeed, had a wider responsibility, namely to uphold the goodwill due to a "new" country founded on the great human quality of magnanimity. Politically and finan- cially, as the sports minister, Steve Tshwete, emphasised on a fleeting visit to London en route from South Africa to the Com- monwealth Games in Canada, the new democracy needs the continuing support of other countries. From the managers, Fritz Bing and Goolam Rajah, to the coach, Mike Procter, and the players, this was a team which earned respect. As prejudices fade and sporting opportunities become wider, it would be sad if there were to be a fall in the standards of discipline, propriety and courtesy which are inculcated into most South African youths from their earliest years. Cricketers everywhere, after all, are striving to hold on to just such virtues and the game, as always, will only reflect the qualities or the failings of those who play it. The exuber- ance of Jonty Rhodes and the smile of Fanie de Villiers will be the lingering images of the 1994 South Africans. For this team especially, whatever their own perspective, winning was not everything. In the end they did not win much - only two matches in fact - because they were short of great batsmen and the bowl- ing lacked variety. The one really exceptional bowler, Allan Donald, had a mercurial tour. On the other hand, they shared the series against an improving England team and if Lord's and the Oval could somehow have been reversed they would be returning home, after this week's visit to Scarborough, in triumph. Exclud- ing the defeat in the single match against the West Indies in Barbados in April 1992, South Africa have still to lose a series since returning from the wilderness. India and Sri Lanka were each beaten 1-0, since when three series of three matches each, against Australia twice and now England have been drawn. That says more about their character than their current strength in depth. This side were too heavily dependent on fast-medium bowl- ing and the disappointing performances of two of their major batsmen, Andrew Hudson and Hansie Cronje, has left them exposed as Wessels contemplates retirement. At least Daryll Cullinan has proved himself in the last two weeks to be a batsman of genuine Test class. Racing men would deduce from South Africa's form against first Australia and then England that the Ashes series will be even money. Given that Australia will have a new captain and that England have managed to resist another exercise in self-destruction by ditching their own, shrewd punters might even want to risk a pound or two on the old country, provided the sel- ectors think more clearly than they often have in the past when they meet in Manchester on Thursday. The team will be announced on Friday morning, with a blithe lack of consideration for two of the Test and County Cricket Board's main sponsors, Britannic As- surance and NatWest. Saturday morning's newspapers, after all, are those in which the names of the side to Australia and the A team to India will be listed and discussed. Yet it is the morning of the final showpiece of the season and could well be the one on which Warwickshire are officially celebrating their first cham- pionship win since 1972. Even if, as expected, Leicestershire are beaten today by Glamorgan and the match which Warwickshire start against Hampshire at Edgbaston tomorrow therefore becomes virtu- ally a formality, their team could still be arriving at Lord's at around 10pm on the eve of the final. Again, bad planning. Luckily for the Board, the sponsors are all in a forgiving mood, delight- ed, as all in cricket must be about the virtues of the new telev- ision contract. For acumen and negotiating skill the Board's marketing committee rightly has received warm congratulations. The Tests will continue to be broadcast live on BBC, so they are assured of a broad domestic audience for four more years, an au- dience, be it noted, which has in no way detracted from sales of tickets to those wanting to witness matches at first hand. Though a smaller public, those with, or prepared now to buy, a satellite dish, will watch the one-day internationals on television live, they will have the consolation of highlights on BBC, who have promised that at least 75 per cent of these, and of Test highlights, will go out before 11.15 at night. BSkyB are more precise and promise their Test highlights between eight and 10 when tired working folk can watch before falling asleep. Many a club cricketer, not to mention those spending Saturday in other ways, must have been irritated at the weekend to discover that the highlights of play from Old Trafford did not begin until 12.50pm. Other important advances were made in a @58.5 million contract which has already been extended beyond @60 million by an agreement for the Asian rights, with further scope from antici- pated agreements with Australia and other countries. There will be at least four days coverage of the County Championship, live, on BSkyB, plus coverage of the opening tour match against the counties. Women's and under-19 matches will receive some live coverage on Sky and attention from the BBC in Grandstand. Both will carry magazine programmes, weekly on Sky, monthly on BBC. Excellent news, but I have reservations about the marketing committee's opposition to the House of Commons heritage committee's view that home Tests should remain the preserve of terrestial television and it is unwary of the Board to commit it- self to two extra one-day internationals in 1996 (for the first time there will be six) and to three one-day competitions for at least another four years. In Australia, South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand they content themselves with one limited- overs event. India and Pakistan do not have any. Furthermore, the TCCB, soon to disband itself and to be recreated as a body responsible for the game at all levels, needs an urgent review of how the vast sums it will be disseminating are going to be spent. An enlightened body would do more than refurbish county grounds, though this is necessary. It would spend more on grass roots, scrap at least one professional limited-overs event, and disband at least one of the bodies responsible for overtaxing talented young players. Thanks: The Daily Telegraph and Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Contributed by vicky (vigneswa@risky.ecs.umass.edu)