The mystery about Sachin Tendulkar’s back problem has been solved.
According to renowned specialist Dr Ken Kennedy, India’s cricketing super-star basically suffers from a muscle problem.
One side of his back muscles is more developed than the other.
This is probably due to his awesome range of shot selection which has catapulted him to fame, but has also caused tremendous strain on his back muscles.
Despite the doctor’s advice, Tendulkar is reported to have rejected suggestions that he should switch from his preferred heavyweight bat to a lighter model.
So serious had the problem become that he travelled to London in March to consult Dr Kennedy, who has treated Ian and Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh in the past.
Indeed, the 26-year-old’s participation in the World Cup was itself in doubt just weeks before the start of the competition.
Thankfully for his millions of fans, he has been passed fit to play - but questions remain over his physical condition.
Tendulkar first suffered the back spasms in the opening match of the historic Asian Test championship against Pakistan.
Even when the problem recurred against Sri Lanka he was still able to compile a century.
But the worrying fact for India is that this free-scoring assassin had to take care to keep his spine straight as much as possible and avoid shots that might aggravate his injury.
But Dr Kennedy’s primary theory was that the problem was being exacerbated by the hectic schedule in international cricket.
"The human body can only take a certain amount of physical stress," he said.
However, there seems little prospect of India resting their best player for the biggest event in international cricket.
Tendulkar simply means to much to his team’s cause.
To many followers of international cricket he is simply the best there is.
Tendulkar has illuminated the sport since he burst onto the Test scene at the age of 16 in 1989.
With more than 5,000 Test runs to his name and an average in the mid-50s, he is well set to become the most prolific player of all time.
And in the one-day game he is just as powerful, despite recently being knocked off the top of the world rankings by Australia’s Michael Bevan.
His performances in the last World Cup, when he smashed a tournament record 523 runs in seven matches on the Indian Sub-Continent, have created a mouthwatering sense of expectation.
In 1996 he averaged an astonishing 87.17, with two centuries, plus further scores of 70, 90 and 65.
His 523 runs made him one of the genuine stars of the World Cup.
This time around he will be aiming to do even better - although Tendulkar, a thoroughly modest man, is approaching the event in typically low-key fashion.
"I have my goals for the World Cup, but they are very personal," he said.
"The important thing is that India must win." Lara, Waugh, Aravinda de Silva, Jonty Rhodes, even England’s Graeme Hick - this World Cup is full of crowd-pleasing batsmen.
But none of them has quite the intoxicating mix of awesome power and sublime touch that Tendulkar displays.
India - and all of cricket - will have their fingers crossed that his back can hold up under the rigours of World Cup ’99 and that he can take his place on centre stage.
B’desh win warm up match Bangladesh win warm-up match Bangladesh star batsman Akram Khan struck 65 off just 56 balls in a warm-up match against local club Finch Hamstead which the unfancied Asian team won in impressive fashion.
In the field against the club players, the Bangla boys were full of enthusiam under the captaincy of Aminul Islam.
But Rob Hunt, the Australian fitness advisor and physiotherapist, is not fully satisfied.
Apart from the 32 year old Akram Khan, the rest of the team are too easy-going for his liking.
Akram Khan remains quite simply the best batsman and Bangladesh’s thin credibility as competitors in the World Cup could depend on this distinctive figure, who achieved hero status among his country’s 120 million population as captain in the ICC Trophy triumph two years ago.
Says the physio: "The hardest thing to teach these fellows is the difference between pain and real pain." Hunt, by taking on the Bangladesh job, had entered a different culture - a culture which, in his view, would have to change as preparations staggered into a third week after the initial shock chill.
The Australian was determined that acclimatisation would mean more than simply turning up the heat radiators in their hotel rooms.
He surprised his gentle-mannered players by demanding more pride and passion, with no "easy options" and no short cuts in training.
"They’ve responded generally quite well," he said with a sigh before turning to the subject of pain.
"They just couldn’t grasp the concept that muscle soreness is part and parcel of fitness as opposed to injury pain." Flintoff possible star England’s Andrew Flintoff has the towering physique of Clive Llyod and Ian Botham.
Despite being only 21 and with only two Tests and four one-day international appearances to his name, the Lancashire all-rounder has already been tipped as a possible star of the World Cup after impressing in Sharjah.
Flintoff first emerged as a batsman of immense power two seasons ago when he smashed Surrey’s Alex Tudor for 38 off one over - including several no-balls - during an AXA League game at Old Trafford - but accepts the need to play a more controlled innings when the situation dictates.
His powerful strokeplay came to the fore again this week in the English county championship when he hammered Essex for 143 off 66 balls.
But he is aware of his limitations and the need to curb his cavaliar instincts.
"I know I’ve had a couple of good scores, but international cricket is a different game entirely to county cricket," Flintoff said.
"Hopefully I can take that form into the warm-up games and the World Cup, but there is a big gap between scoring runs at county level and international cricket and I found that out last year when I played in the two Tests and the one-day internationals out in Sharjah.
"Getting a hundred off 60-odd balls was just a one-off - it was one of those days when everything went right for me.
"I’ve always liked to dominate and attack when I’m at the crease and sometimes that has led to my downfall, but just lately I’ve tried to curb that a bit more.
I need to choose which ball to hit and which is better to leave." Cool Cronje Hanse Cronje: Doesn’t see his side as the favourites South Africa captain Hansie Cronje has played down suggestions that his team are the favourites for the forthcoming World Cup.
The team, who arrived in London on Monday, have dominated the one-day game since the last World Cup in 1996, and with allrounders of the quality of Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis, they look to have the strength in depth to take the title.
But the captain is not taking anything for granted.
"I haven’t thought about who is favourites and who isn’t.
It really doesn’t matter what the bookies say because this is one-day cricket and a World Cup.
"The statistics say that we are favourites, but when it comes to May 14 nobody will care about which order they have been ranked.
"There is a lot of cricket to be played this summer, and I think there are other teams who can win the tournament.
Australia and Pakistan have obviously come into form at the right time, and you can never rule out England at home." Cronje also made it clear that Klusener and Allan Donald should be available for the tournament, despite suffering from niggling injuries.
"Alan hasn’t played since New Zealand tour, and Lance has only played three games.
But we are not worried about either of them at this stage.
"Allan has responded well to treatment and we will wait and see over the next few days when it is he can play again.
But we are expecting that to be in plenty of time for the start." Meanwhile, coach Bob Woolmer maintained that he will not make a decision on his personal future until after the World Cup.
The former Kent and England batsman is a strong favourite to become the next England boss after his contract with South Africa expires at the end of the tournament.
"It is not fair for me or my team if I make a decision before the end of the World Cup.
"I have told the England and Wales Cricket Board the situation, and they understand and respect that.
"Anything I do can only be done after South Africa’s campaign has finished, and I will then sit down and consider what I want to do." Players profiles : BANGLADESH Aminal Islam Bulbul (captain) Age: 31 Style: Right hand bat; Off spin A somewhat controversial choice as captain after Minhazul Abedin, the former skipper who had performed so well in the ICC Trophy for Bangladesh two years ago - which they won to earn the team its first ever qualification for the World Cup - was overlooked altogether.
Aminal is, however, an experienced cricketer, having first played for Bangladesh in 1998/99.
Although his average is unspectacular, he recently became the highest run-scorer in the nation’s history when he reached 533 runs in his 23rd one-day international.
For all that he has only twice reached half-centuries.
Faruq Ahmed Age: 33 Style: Right hand bat; Off spin Caused a stir in Bangladesh when selected for the final 15.
A groin strain had kept him out of all recent matches and other players appeared to have done enough to merit inclusion ahead of him.
Obviously the selectors valued his experience of over ten years in the national side.
There are those who question his appetite for the fight, saying that he deliberately withdrew from the side to face Pakistan for fear of being exposed by their fast bowlers.
Shafiuddin Admed Age: 25 Style: Right hand bat; Right arm medium-fast Made a mark by scoring the first century in Bangladesh’s one-day international history, against Zimbabwe in the last match of the tri-nations tournament with Kenya.
That, combined with the 73 he scored as an opening batsman, also against Zimbabwe, is enough to suggest that at the top of the order, at least, no country should take victory over Bangladesh for granted.
Jahangir Alam (wicket) Age: 26 Has done nothing of note in one-day internationals to date but can keep wicket if the need arises.
Naimur Rahman Durjoy Age: 24 Style: Right hand bat; Off spin A valued allrounder.
Bowls off spin and has opened the batting for Bangladesh - although both with mibatting for Bangladesh - although both with mixed results.
Enamul Haq Age: 33 Style: Left hand bat; Left arm orthodox Another spinner who bats a bit.
Made his debut almost ten years ago and has been there or there abouts ever since.
Hasibul Hossain Age: 21 Style: Right hand bat; Right arm medium-fast A new ball bowler who, though hardly likely to cut through a side, recently registered his best bowling figures in one-day internationals, 3-50 against Pakistan.
Nothing exceptional perhaps, but they were the best figures by a Bangladeshi against Pakistan.
Mehreb Hossain Age: 20 Style: Right hand bat; Right arm medium Caught the eye by scoring the first century in Bangladesh’s one-day international history, against Zimbabwe in the last match of the tri-nations tournament with Kenya.
That, combined with the 73 he scored as an opening batsman, also against Zimbabwe, is enough to suggest that at the top of the order, at least, no country should take victory over Bangladesh for granted.
Shahriar Hossain Age: 22 Style: Right hand bat Narrowly failed to become the first Bangladeshi to score a century in one-day internationals when he was out leg-before on 95 against Kenya.
The privilege of reaching the milestone first was later achieved by 20-year-old Mehrab Hossain.
He did though play his part in recording the highest opening partnership for Bangladesh, passing the 137 made by Athar Ali and Mohammad Rafique against Kenya, in a 171-run stand with Opee.
Manjurul Islam Age: 19 Style: Left hand bat; Left arm medium Made only a solitary one-day international appearance before selection for the World Cup, taking one wicket against Pakistan.
Akram Khan Age: 32 Style: Right hand bat; Right arm medium The former captain, dropped after poor performances this winter.
In 24 one-day appearances he has made only two half-centuries and scored his runs at an average of 21.86.
Khaled Mahmud Age: 27 Style: Right hand bat; Right arm medium At only slightly over 5ft in height, Khaled could legitimately make a claim to being the shortest bowler in one-day international history.
Is sometimes awkward because of his lack of height but no self-respecting batsman should have any trouble getting his medium pace bowling away.
Muhammad Rafique Age: 29 Style: Left hand bat; Left arm orthodox One of the more experienced Bangladeshi bowlers and the second leading wicket-taker in the party, with 15 dismissals in 16 one-day internationals.
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