Trevor Chesterfield

London One question being asked about this year's World Cup is not so much whether it is suffering from an identity crisis but whether in fact it has an identity at all.

It is a sad reflection of sporting life in the British capital that with only eight days to go before the event starts at Lord's tomorrow week where hosts England play title-holders Sri Lanka, it is only one of three matches sold out for England's games.

The others are those against South Africa at The Oval and against India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. All of South Africa's games have been sold out; well all except that against Kenya, at Amstelveen, in Holland on May 26.. We'll find out about that one when we get there.

Between Paddington and Victoria stations the taxi driver, when asked what he thought of England's chances of winning the World Cup (1999 version) thought we were in a time warp and had in fact asked about last year's jamboree in France. In terms of South Africa we know what happened to that side.

While South Africa train in the relative quiet of the Saffrons at Hove on the Sussex coast, where they play their first training match tomorrow, the PR surrounding the event has so far carried as much hype as would a pamphlet on a bird watching exercise in a nearby park. Meeting at 3 am to catch the first warble of the cuckoo.

It may even get back page treatment in the tabloids in the event of England qualifying for the final on June 20: also at Lord's.

As it is there have already been the odd salvoes of malcontent: England's Alec Stewart and his Sri Lanka opposite, Arjuna Ranatunga, involved more at cross purposes than cross words. At Lord's the captains and managers met to sort out the tournament's playing conditions and one of the event the question of stump microphones surfaced.

It was this device which caused a rumpus at Adelaide Oval during the bad-tempered match between England and Sri Lanka during the slogs circus Down Under last southern summer. Stewart grizzled to Ranatunga about his “sportsmanship' and “behavourial attitude'.

“You are aware they are on but we have been told there is an agreement that the stump mike should only go on during deliveries,' said the England captain and likely to lead the side to South Africa next summer.

The rotund Rantunga, and a bit cheeky with it , sniffed and snorted at what he thought was Stewart's put down.

“That's nonsense. It is up to the authorities to decide. If they want it on during the whole match then that's the way it should be,' he grumbled in gruff response.

“The whole world should be able to hear, not just the players.' As the tournament director Terry Blake has yet to make a comment most likely the bluff will be called when the tournament starts and final decisions have been made.

Apart from that small tiff, the captains meeting was the usual run of the mill stuff about playing conditions and sorting out the worry of players security provisions.

At the Saffrons, South Africa's training schedule has been going well and so far the promised showers have stayed away with the weather more like early May on the highveld than summer in England.