South African fast bowler Allan Donald tried yesterday to play down a highly publicised row with West Indian captain Brian Lara ahead of cricket's World Cup.
The Daily Express newspaper published an extract from Donald's forthcoming autobiography which described how Donald told Lara to "f... off" from the South African dressing-room. Donald wrote that he had "lost all respect for [Lara] as a captain" after Lara led West Indies to a humiliating 0-5 test series defeat in South Africa last season.
In Hove yesterday, however, Donald said the extract had been taken from an early draft of the book, White Lightning, which will be published in London next week.
"I was very disappointed with the way it came out," said Donald, who claimed he had told ghost writer Pat Murphy not to use the section.
"I was hyped up when I started writing it," he said, "but when the proofs were sent to me while I was touring New Zealand I said it needed toning down."
Daily Express reporter Colin Bateman said the extract had been checked with publisher Harper Collins.
The dressing-room row apparently blew up after Lara refused a request from Donald for a pair of Lara's batting gloves to auction at a benefit function.
Donald said: "I told him he needs to learn to speak to people with some courtesy and told him to f... off out of our dressing room."
Lara later gave Donald a pair of gloves "without saying a word".
Donald claimed Lara failed to provide the strong leadership the West Indies needed in South Africa.
"He seemed to spend more time playing golf than being with his squad," Donald said.
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New Zealand believe they can win the last global cricket championship of this millennium at Lord's next month.
At least one British newspaper has picked New Zealand as the dark horses in the battle for world supremacy in the limited-overs arena, and captain Stephen Fleming is similarly upbeat. Ladbrokes bookmakers favour South Africa at 5-2 then Australia at 10-3 with New Zealand at 20-1.
Fleming said the Kiwis had grown as a one-day side to the extent that they believed they could win the tournament, and Austraian captain Steve Waugh agreed, saying any of nine teams could challenge seriously for a finals berth.
"Countries play a lot more one-day cricket against each other these days than, say, when we won the World Cup in 1987," Waugh said, "and know a lot more about each other's strengths and weaknesses."
If New Zealand do manage to make it through to the second round, one of Pakistan, the West Indies or Australia will not, a scenario Fleming said was not as unlikely as it seemed.
"We've performed pretty well at some stage in the last four years, so there's now more of a belief we can win it this time. It's not a luck thing.
"In previous years we've had our eyes opened by some of the team's we've played.
It's been quite daunting. But this time we're confident we can face these other guys head-to-head, which is a big step."
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Teams competing in theWorld Cup will not have their national anthem played before the games, organisers have confirmed.
"This is a carnival of cricket and we are trying to get away from the old ways of doing things," said event manager Michael Browning. "National anthems are all very well for other events and flag-waving but not this World Cup. "The players just want to get on with the game and anthems are part of old cricket. This tournament is all about new cricket."
However, anthems may still be played before the final at Lord's on June 21, when the Queen will be present.
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The Australian Cricket Board and arguably its most precious resource, Glenn McGrath, may be on a collision course over the champion fast bowler's wish to play county cricket in England next year.
McGrath has fielded several lucrative offers to play in England next season.
But the board is unlikely to be thrilled at the prospect of another fast bowler disappearing across the ocean to engage in the hard grind of county cricket.
Already it has dissuaded McGrath from making the trek once. Shane Warne also was gently reminded of his priorities several years ago when he fielded offers from England.
Cricket: Donald gives Lara a serve
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