Cricket: Tourists leave with plenty of smiles

By Richard Boock

WELLINGTON - Daryll Cullinan was wearing the broadest smile after the sixth one-day cricket international was abandoned here yesterday, but his South African team-mates were not far behind.

Cullinan's rich vein of run-scoring throughout the test and one-day series resulted in him winning the Bank of New Zealand Cricketer of the Year Award yesterday - a $32,000 Hyundai Sonata car.

And the decision to call the game off allowed the team to fly home, after seven weeks on the road.

The combination of heavy overnight rain and the fact that the Basin Reserve has the drainage capability of a swamp, meant groundstaff could not sufficiently dry an area of the bowler's run-up at the southern end, forcing the match umpires to call the game off just before 1pm.

The decision was made against a back-drop of the South Africans' packed bags, meaningful glances at watch-faces, and a clear Wellington sky, leaving the tourists just enough time to make a crucial flight to Sydney.

New Zealand coach Steve Rixon said afterwards his team - who trailed 3-2 in the series - were desperate to play, but conceded the conditions were unfit.

"There wasn't a massive improvement in the condition of those wet areas during the time they were worked on so I guess the ground was unfit, and no-one wants to get injured.

"Being down 3-2, we were quite happy to play under any circumstances but you can understand that South Africa might have viewed things a bit differently.

"It was disappointing, but I've been quietly impressed with our performance this summer. We were under-manned throughout and still competed well against both India and South Africa - we were desperate to square the ledger."

South African skipper Hansie Cronje said he was pleased with his side's performance, particularly after winning both the test and one-day series, but warned anyone against taking the Kiwis lightly in the World Cup.

"We didn't expect to go 2-1 down in the one-dayers, to be honest, but the Kiwis played very well in the first part of the series. They surprised us."

Not surprising, however, was the decision from judges Jeremy Coney, Ian Smith and Martin Crowe to choose Cullinan as the Cricketer of the Year.

The South African batsman scored 427 test runs an average of 427 and 216 runs in the one-dayers, edging out team-mates Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Shaun Pollock, as well as Indian right-hander Rahul Dravid.

According to sources close to the side, the South African team policy means Cullinan will cash up the car, with half the value going to the team funds' account, and the other half kept for himself.