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FULL NAME: Harry Peter Rinke
BORN: At Marondera, 5 November 1981
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2001/02). Present club side: Old Hararians
KNOWN AS: `Piet’ Rinke. Nicknames: Piet, Rinks.
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast Medium
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy studentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 15-17 February 2002, CFX Academy v Manicaland, at MutareSports Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (April 2002)Peter Rinke, known as `Piet’, is a powerfully-built all-rounder currently with the CFX Academy. He owes his nickname, he says, to his grandfather, who was also Harry Peter and had two cousins with exactly the same names. To avoid too much confusion, his grandfather called himself Piet, with the Afrikaans spelling, and the current Piet adopted the same names years later.Piet unusually has not only no family background in cricket, but in no other sporting disciplines at all to any significant effect, his family being more intellectually inclined. "I’m definitely the first in any branch of the family to do anything sporting-wise," he says. However, as has grown older he has converted the tennis court on the family farm near Marondera into a cricket net.Not surprisingly in view of this, Piet was a late starter to the game and only began to take a real interest in cricket at high school, where his friends played and slowly drew him into it. He really started to enjoy it, he says, at about Form Three level at Eaglesvale High School, when he came under the wing of Stephen Mangongo, coach at the school but more widely known for his work in the townships. "He started taking me seriously and I just took it from there," Piet says.He did play cricket while at Digglefold Primary School near Marondera, but not seriously in any way, so he was vaguely familiar with the basics of the game. He did well enough to play for the first team for three years, so his natural talent was obvious, although he had no memorable performances to look back on, just recalling vaguely the odd twenty or thirty with the bat.In Form One at Eaglesvale he actually went on tour to South Africa with his age-group team but he was, in his won words, the fifteenth player in the party, `a place-keeper’, and he played very little, which disappointed him, although he very much enjoyed the rest of the tour. One of the best players of his age-group, Dirk Bezuidenhout, `gave him a hard time’ for the next year or two, although Piet now realizes that his intentions were good, for he recognized Piet’s talent and was trying to persuade him to work hard and make the most of it.He played no representative cricket at all during his school years, although in his final year at Eaglesvale he did extremely well and was bitterly disappointed to miss selection for the national Under-19 team. He finished the season with a batting average approaching 60, and taking more than 20 wickets at an average of about 12. In 13 innings he recalls that he failed to reach fifty only three times, although he never went on to reach a century – a performance of remarkable consistency. He took five wickets in an innings on three occasions, without equalling his best performance of six in an innings two years earlier against St George’s College.He left school at the end of 2000, and the following year went to play club cricket for Duncan Park in Hemsley, North Yorkshire. "Lovely town, lovely people. What I learnt there was just fabulous," he said. "My knowledge of cricket was increased by at least 500%. I worked with great players like Don Wilson – especially Don Wilson; he is fabulous – Collis King, Graham Roope, Barry Wood, wicket-keeper Rodney Cass. There was a junior county tournament there as well, and just helping with that and learning from all these great players was just amazing. The knowledge they have in their heads is incomparable."For the club, he reached 98 twice and 99 once, and says, "I’ve reached the nineties about six times but never reached 100 yet." He took six for 19 as his best figures.He has played club cricket for Old Hararians in Harare for the past three seasons, and after two games in the second team was promoted to the firsts. In his first season he took five wickets for seven runs in the national league semi-final against Harare Sports Club. He is grateful for the help and advice he has enjoyed from the senior players such as Trevor Penney, Gary Brent, Paul and Bryan Strang. The club struggled, though, when the national players were away and the Zimbabwe Board XI were playing, and Piet says, "A lot of our success comes down to myself, Nyasha (Chari), Ryan Butterworth and Conan Brewer. At the ages of 18, 19 or 20 we’re the senior players of the side."Gary Brent, Piet feels, has been the greatest influence on his career so far. "The amount of work he puts in is incredible," he says. "He’s my idol when it comes to cricket and I definitely look up to him. He always tries his best and always pushes you to your best, to perform at your highest level. Trevor Penney has had a lot to do with me as well, though he hasn’t played so much this season. When you play with him, the whole spirit of the game just lifts up – he’s a fabulous player."Piet is disappointed with his batting at club level, though, where his highest score in competitive matches is 34, although he made 74 in one friendly. It hasn’t helped being shuffled around in the batting order, batting anywhere from three to eight, and when the side is at full strength at number ten. Two years ago his bowling was handicapped by a back strain, but he feels he has now completely recovered from this.With the bat Piet is strongest off his legs, especially in one-day cricket. Ideally he would like to bat at number three or four. As a bowler he feels he is able to bowl `a magnificent line and length’, and his consistency is his main virtue. On lively pitches in particular he is difficult to score from and generally returns economical figures. His favourite fielding position is midwicket, from where he feels he can read the game most readily.Cricket heroes: Gary Brent and Trevor Penney. "I’d have to say Collis King, Don Wilson – just because I’ve met them and spoken to them. Don Wilson didn’t do much at international level, but there’s his knowledge of the game and what he did for Yorkshire cricket. I respect that a lot and really look up to him."Toughest opponents: Bowler – "I really struggle with Jordane Nicolle; he’s got a very fast arm action." Batsman – "Davy Houghton. I played one game against him a year ago and he made me feel like a little twelve-year-old. He really fiddled me around and played me to all areas of the park."Personal ambitions: "It’s my dream just to captain a side in one game. I’d even go and captain in a minor game; it’s really my ambition to captain in one game in my life. My next stage is I have to get a century – you can’t call yourself a top-order batsman if you haven’t scored a ton yet. A century is a century in all kinds of cricket; obviously I’d love to get one at the highest level. I’m definitely aiming to get one before the end of this season (2001/02). I’m not playing too badly and Dave Houghton has worked a lot with me in the nets. I want to get a five-fer as well in first-class cricket, but it’s all about time: you can’t burst on to the first-class scene and expect to be the best player in the world. I definitely want to play for my country but I don’t want it too soon – I just want it when I’m ready for it."Proudest achievement so far: "Obviously a match-winning performance has to be a highlight of your career. I’d like to say that five for seven at Harare Sports Club that won us the game, and also in the UK that six for 18 off 20-off overs."Best friends in cricket: Andre Hoffman, Ryan Butterworth, Conan Brewer.Other qualifications: Qualified tennis coach. "Other than that, I’ve just been working in my sister’s company, Compressor Tech, doing absolutely everything, from general dogsbody to managerial jobs!"Other sports: Hockey (two years for Mashonaland), tennis (Mashonaland East junior tennis), rugby in junior years.Outside interests: "I love my motorbike; I really enjoy my music; I enjoy socializing, talking to people and being with people."Views on cricket: "Cricket in this country has to go forward, but unfortunately politics are coming into the game here. There are some people just riding the wave like everybody else, and I believe that’s killing the game of cricket here. I just hope that can be sorted out before long. I believe our standard of cricket here is not bad at all; it’s of a high standard. Our first-class standard is very high when the national players and A team players are here. We can definitely compete against the best, but we just have to get these problems sorted out."

Javagal Srinath might have announced the reasons for his sudden and surprising retirement from Test cricket but Sourav Ganguly is not having any of it. The Indian skipper firmly believes that the Karnataka speedster must lead the Indian attack on the very demanding tour of England that is set to follow.”I shall definitely try and make him understand that the team needs him in England. I was surprised more since he didn’t tell anything about it (his plans to retire) when he left for India. I’ll try my best to convince him and take him to England,” Ganguly said before leaving the West Indies.Knowledgeable sources say that it was his omission from the one-dayers that prompted Srinath to make the decision. When told about this, Ganguly said, “I had absolutely no idea. This is the first time I am hearing about it. But I failed to understand what he meant by saying that he would not be playing in the Test matches any more.”Does he want to say that he would continue to play in the one-day matches? Once the selectors know that he will not be available for Tests, will they pick him only for the one-dayers? I’ve to discuss all these things with him and then only will I be able to say anything more on this subject,” he added.The tour of England will begin with the Indian team’s involvement in a tri-nation tournament including Sri Lanka and the home team. After this they would be involved in a four-Test series against the Englishmen. The Indian skipper was convinced that the team needed Srinath to do well in the Test matches.”We are developing into a team. Although we are yet to win a Test series abroad, we have shown that we can win Tests overseas. And Sri was an integral part of this team. He is our best bowler and can guide the young fast bowlers,” the Indian skipper observed.Srinath also seems to have been frustrated by the fact he could not bowl as well as he would have liked to in the last two Tests in the Caribbean. In fact, before leaving the West Indies at the end of the Test series, he indicated to some of his teammates that he was seriously considering retirement. But they did not take him seriously as this was not the first time that the star speedster had voiced such thoughts.”Yes, he told me that he could not bowl at the pace he was used to and that he was not enjoying playing. But I told him that with age, every great fast bowler lost a few yards of their pace but they made up for it by concentrating more on variety which assisted their team in a big way.”Marshall, Roberts, Akram, McGrath were all very fast at the beginning of their careers, but later they developed greater variety and became more dangerous. I told him to follow in their footsteps. He is too nice a bowler to be retired now,” Ganguly said, before signing-off.

The Mercantile Cricket Association six-a-side tournament will be held thisweekend (21st and 22nd April) at the MCA, Wesley, and D.S. SenanyakaGrounds. Thirty-five teams will take part in the two-day event, which isbeing sponsored by Union Insurance for the seventh year in a row. East-WestInformation Systems won the tournament last year.

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has named a 12-man squad for the ACB Cup match against Tasmania’s second XI to commence on Monday, October 21.The team sees fast bowler, and new recruit to South Australia, Damien Fleming, in the squad, who will play subject to a final fitness evaluation. Ben Higgins will captain the team.Completing the squad are: Mark Cleary, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Harris, Mark Harrity, Graham Manou, Jamie Marsh, Jack Smith, Matthew Weeks and Brad Young.The match will be played on Adelaide Oval No. 2 and runs from Monday, October 21 to Thursday, October 24. Play commences at 10.30am.

When it was needed that he be a leader and display courage, Nasser Hussainwas found wanting.It was the same old predictable boring England.Sending the opposition in is a gamble.When you don’t have the bowlers to doany damage, it’s akin to suicide.England will now be lucky to follow-on. If they avoid it or it is notenforced, they will have an impossible target to chase.The tone of an Ashes series is set on the first day of the first Test.In 1986, Australia sent England in at the Gabba for them to finish the firstday at 2/198. They would make 456, enforce the follow-on and win by sevenwickets.In 1989, David Gower sent Australia in. Australia made it to the first dayat 3/207 and would won the Test by 210 runs.In 1994, Michael Slater hit the first ball of the series from Phil DeFreitasfor four. It was that kind of series.Hussain had to be positive. Get some runs on the board and at least putAustralia in a position where they didn’t feel 100% in control.Now he has placed his side in a huge hole which will require some greatbatting and the old rain dance for them to extricate themselves.Electing to bat first would have shown that England would not be lying down.Instead, they took the easy way out and are paying for it.For all the talk, their fielding is still basic. The bowlers aren’t bowlingto their fields. Too many balls are being bowled without a shot being playedand if a false stroke is made, the defensive field placings means that itcan’t be capitalised on.Hussain has sent out a message loud and clear – that his side fearAustralia. Obviously oblivious to the fact that it’s the exploitation of theopposition’s fear which is one of the major reasons for Australia’s success.The hero of the Mexican revolution, Emiliano Zapata once said, “It’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees”.England are dying on their knees.

HOBART – A youthful Tasmanian cricket team will go to Sydney for matchesagainst New Zealand and New South Wales early next month.With many of its frontline players on international or English countyduties, last season’s Pura Cup finalists will have only a small nucleusof seasoned players.Coach Brian McFadyen said it would be a good chance for youngsters andfringe players to show what they could do.In keeping with the learning experience, the captaincy will be rotatedfor the three matches.The Tigers will play a full strength New Zealand team, which will bepreparing for the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, in one-day matches onSeptember 4 and 5 at Davidson Oval.It will then play a two-day game against NSW at Tunks Oval.Included in the team is 22-year-old opening batsman Luke Williams, anoff-season signing from South Australia.The team: George Bailey, Gerard Denton, Graeme Cunningham, MichaelDighton, Xavier Doherty, Sean Clingeleffer, Shane Jurgensen, DanielMarsh, David Saker, Scott Mason, Shannon Tubb, Luke Williams.

John Crawley today confirmed that he has signed a five-year contract with Hampshire, and that he is looking forward to joining his new colleagues on Monday.It ends a difficult winter for the 30-year-old, who requested an early release from his Lansashire contract when he was replaced as captain by Warren Hegg after a disappointing 2001 season. The county narrowly avoided relegation in the CricInfo Championship and failed to win promotion in the National League.”It’s been a very long winter, and it’s fantastic that it’s finally sorted out,” Crawley told reporters at Hampshire’s headquarters, the Rose Bowl. “It’s all in the past now. I’m looking forward to the season, probably more than any other in my career.”Hampshire have agreed to contribute towards the buy-out costs of Crawley’s contract. He would not comment on the Lancashire situation, stating that under his new contract he wasn’t allowed to. However he does believe that there should be a system of arbitration for complex situations of this kind.As to his reasons for joining Hampshire: “I was impressed with the facilities when I came down last year, and the people, and the whole development at Hampshire.”This whole saga has been going on since before Christmas – it’s been a strain on me and my family. Hampshire showing great ambition was one of the main reasons for coming here, because I’m more used to a conservative club with old-fashioned methods.”I still have a burning desire to play for England, and I’m still learning at 30.”Expressing his delight at the signing, Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook said: “It’s not my policy to go out and recruit players, but when players of Crawley’s calibre become available you’d be foolish not to look at them.”He brings a lot of experience and stability to our squad, and he will also help the young players with their development. With his signing and that of Nic Pothas, there’ll be huge competition for batting places this season.”A statement released by Lancashire earlier today read: “Following a period of protracted negotiation, the club has agreed to release John from his contract upon the payment to the club by him and Hampshire County Cricket Club Limited of a suitable five-figure compensation payment.”The exact terms agreed between the parties are subject to a formal writtenagreement which is the subject of a confidentiality obligation.”The club wish to place on record their thanks to John for his 12 years ofservice to the county.”Crawley scored more than 15,000 runs in his 11 seasons at Old Trafford, winning 29 Test caps. He succeeded Wasim Akram as captain in 1999, leading Lancashire to a National League title. They were also twice runners-up in the Championship.

Norfolk 239/8d (C Amos 95, AR Clarke 5-84)
Buckinghamshire 24-2
Cheshire 229 (SJ Renshaw 98)
OxfordshireDevon 388/8 (GTJ Townsend 131, KAO Barrett 84)
Shropshire 28/0Herefordshire 348-6 (PS Lazenbury 143, A Farooque 85)
Wales 7-1.Lincolnshire 295/7d (M Dobson 81, M Fell 57*, J Trower 52)
Staffordshire 15/0Dorset 392/8 (SWB Rintoul 139, TCZ Lamb 81, MG Miller 79)
Wiltshire 15/1

Ajay Ratra demonstrated that he is fighting to get his Test place back with an innings of 101 not out for the Indians in their tour match at Derby. Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh all got into the forties as the tourists reached an imposing total of 445 for seven declared – enjoying the batting practice afforded by a second string Derbyshire attack and some equally friendly conditions. Ratra took 206 balls and hit 14 fours in his hundred.The county side then made a steady start to their reply. Steve Stubbings and Rawait Khan put on 131 for the opening partnership before Stubbings was bowled by Harbhajan Singh for 66. Dominic Hewson fell to Kumble for 66 as well, and then Kumble picked up another wicket before the close leaving Derbyshire on 228 for three – still 217 behind. Khan is not out 77.

Unhappy at the “unilateral announcement” that India would playPakistan at Karachi during the Asian Test Championship (ATC) inSeptember, the Sports Ministry has conveyed its displeasure to thePresident of the Board of Control for Cricket in India AC Muthiah overthe issue.Taking exception to the reported assurance given by the BCCI to thePakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the Indian cricket team’sparticipation in the ATC, Sports Minister Uma Bharti said the SportsSecretary has already conveyed the Ministry’s displeasure on this toMuthiah.”They (BCCI) should not take so much liberty in making suchannouncements,” she told reporters.”To play in Pakistan, the Board has to first give a written proposalto the Sports Ministry which in turn would forward it to the Ministryof External Affairs. The final decision rests with the MEA,” Bhartisaid.”No such proposal for the Indian cricket team’s tour to Pakistan inSeptember to participate in the ATC has been received by theMinistry,” she said asking “where is the question of my reaction tothe Pakistan Board’s announcement that India will play against it’steam in Karachi.”Asked about reports about India making some sort of goodwill gestureon the eve of Gen Parvez Musharraf’s visit, Bharti said “there is nosuch proposal with her Ministry now. The MEA will take a decisionabout bilateral ties in the changed scenario and obviously cricketingties would also figure in that,” she said adding “When the tiesthrough sports are to be discussed, the views of the Sports Ministrywould be taken into account. Beyond this, whatever is being written inthe media is a matter of pure speculation,” she said.However, she stressed that like arts and culture, sports too had arole in promoting bilateral ties of two countries.Asked whether the Government’s decision not to play cricket withPakistan in a bilateral series had contributed to further souring ofrelations, the Sports Minister said “The bilateral cricketing ties hadnothing to do with the souring of the relations between the twocountries. It was the souring of the relations which resulted in thesnapping of bilateral cricketing ties,” she added.