Trevor Chesterfield

England's merry month of May provided a wet, chilly reminder for some of the World Cup hopefuls that weather conditions can play havoc with the best laid plans.

Both favourites, South Africa and Australia, had their opening warm up games rained off on successive days: South Africa at the Saffrons, in Hove, and the Australians down in the fair principality of Wales where at Sophia Gardens, the outfield was more fit for scuba diving mid afternoon.

While England at least put in a winning run against Kent at Canterbury, which is South Africa's next port of call in the warm-up stages India was also hit by rain, not before Rahul Dravid scored a sensible 60. Jonty Rhodes and assistant coach Graham Ford made the trip to Leicester's Grace Road on a ``spying'' mission, found not too much to report on.

Whether this duo is likely to turn up at Harrogate where India play Yorkshire is another matter.

But rain splattered England these first few days in May have done no favours at all to the main teams in Groups A and B.

Okay, Bangladesh had a convincing enough win over Essex at Chelmsford and the New Zealanders were just to good for Hampshire at Southampton, the West Indies match in Bristol against Gloucestershire was also a victim of the rain; ditto Pakistan in Derby. But the weather is not helping.

In fact you get the impression that the low-key public relations exercise which launched this tournament is a little like the weather, still sounding off a raspberry instead of a royal salute. If the cold, damp and miserable state of the current climate continues it has been suggested the World Cup be postponed until August and September.

South Africa's captain, Hansie Cronje, glum at how an English er ... summer, contrived to wreck the World Cup favourites opening warm up game, was joined 24 hours later by Steve Waugh. Both were of the same opinion, with the Aussies quickly withdrawing from a drizzling Cardiff for the soggy midlands at New Road at Worcester.

Cronje was equally worried about the fitness of the team's star fielding turn Rhodes whose injury kept him out of the game at Hove and also against Kent at the St Lawrence Ground. Whether he is ready to take his place in the side at Southgate on Tuesday for the game against Middelsex is another worry.

``I have played about 150 one-games with Jonty in the side and it is nice to know he is there. His value to us in this tournament was shown by the way he performed when we were in England last year,'' he admitted.

Rhodes visited a specialist in London shortly after the South Africans arrived as concern over the right forearm bruising grew.

Media relations have so far been interesting with the liaison officer at Hove trying to convince everyone in the crammed press box that it was clearing in Cornwall and that being the case, the game would start at 2.30. Just what Cornwall had to do with the rain in Hove has not been answered. But the game was called off shortly before 2.30 in the afternoon and the umpires, Messrs Roy Palmer and Darrel Hair deciding the weather was not going to clear.

At least they got in 10 overs in Cardiff with Jason Gillespie looking menacing and Shane Warne bagged a catch.

South Africa, like India and Sri Lanka, will be seeking a better deal in the second round of games but the weather forecast is far from promising.