But Klusener came as no surprise to the West Indies or New Zealand. Both had recent experience of his breathtaking ability to transform a one-day international.When South Africa steamrollered the West Indies in February, winning seven straight one-day games, Klusener topped the batting averages (76.33), and scored a 34-ball 50 – the fastest ever for South Africa. Better still, he dictated the result of a tight one-day series against New Zealand by hitting a six off the last ball of a deciding game.The visual image that lingers is of Klusener stepping back to leg and clubbing the ball with his 2lb 11oz bat like a baseball player slugging a homer The technique is designed for one-day cricket. His performance in Tests, which require a straighter bat and a less cavalier approach, is less persuasive. In 20 Tests he has scored only 602 runs at 27.45, and his 48 wickets have cost 34.95.Klusener’s contribution to last summer’s series between England and South Africa was terminated after three Tests when he broke his foot at Old Trafford.

He scored 57 in the first Test, 34 in the second and 17 not out in the third He took six wickets Statistics tell only part of the story, however. He was badly missed at Headingley when the lower- order batsmen failed to do what has become Klusener’s speciality, coming in at No 8 or No 9.His preference for batting down the order must have been bolstered last Thursday when he looked out of sorts during a brief innings coming in first wicket down. The one boundary he scored brought him an unbroken sequence of runs scored in one day internationals to 400, a new record But Klusener is not particularly impressed by records. He seemed to find this one particularly funny when he learned of it last Saturday.But it is an indication of the transformation of Lance Klusener from a useful all-rounder into the rare position among his generation of cricketers.

He has become a presence, capable of inspiring confidence and ambition in his colleagues.. WHEN Zimbabwe return home, their legacy to the 1999 World Cup will be at least one abiding memory, apart from their role as the tournament’s surprise package – the emphatic emergence of Neil Johnson. One of the main reasons why both public and pundits believed they would exit proceedings after the initial group stage was that they lacked a world class player. No one who witnessed Johnson’s undefeated century at Lord’s on Wednesday against the ominously improving Australians will be in any doubt that they have one now.
Not only was it the first individual century for Zimbabwe at Lord’s, it was an innings played under the greatest pressure as they needed to score over 300 to win, or at least get close to reduce the adverse effect on their net run rate. Then on Friday, Johnson proved his courage with a half-century against Pakistan after being hit on the helmet by a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer.Over the past month Johnson has shown immense natural talent, a willingness to compete, bravery and possibly most important, the ability to assume responsibility and change matches through his own individual efforts. Twelve wickets, one century, three half centuries and three man of the match awards, the figures do not lie.Witness his match-winning performance against South Africa in the group stage.