The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Nel at his fiery best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 24, 2006
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Nel at his fiery best

Special Correspondent

Cape Town: Andre Nel likes to target his victims ahead of a series. He names them and then he hunts for their scalp.

This time it was Sachin Tendulkar. Nel had made no secret of his desire to dismiss Tendulkar in the local newspapers before the ODI series began.

Nel is temperamental, has an unsavoury disciplinary record, but he can also inflict some serious damage.

The lanky 29-year-old paceman has 84 wickets in 23 Tests (average of 29.79). In the ODIs, Nel has 70 victims in 52 games (economy rate 4.63).

Wednesday's game at Kingsmead saw Nel record his best figures in the ODIs — four for 13 off eight overs. Earlier, Nel's breezy 22 was his highest ODI score.

Nel and the South African side arrived here for Sunday's third ODI — a day game — to a warm reception. The South Africans now have an interesting policy of releasing a player from the squad, unlikely to figure in the eleven, for domestic cricket. It was Boeta Dippenaar before the second ODI and all-rounder Andrew Hall could be the next to be released.

The Indian team landed here in the afternoon. Media manager Rajan Nair said, despite the reverse at Kingsmead, the spirit in the camp was upbeat.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport