He just lives by the philosophy that you either bowl the ball

He just lives by the philosophy that you either bowl the ball as fast as you can or you hit it as hard as you can." Or put another way, "Go high or go home," Klusener's own motto.When Klusener does go home it is to Gingindhlovu, the little village on the north Natal coast known to the locals as Double Gin, where he likes to fish and keep well away from the media spotlight. His mastery of their language makes him a very popular figure with the black community in that part of South Africa, and to team-mates and supporters alike he is known simply as "Zulu".Like Barry Richards, Klusener attended Durban High School where he played only as a batsman but failed to make the first XI. It was during a three- year spell in the army that he took up bowling as well and Graham Ford, the man who will replace Woolmer after the World Cup, was one of the first to spot his potential. "It was mainly his bowling that caught the eye, but his batting has improved a lot since then," Ford said. "I get quite disappointed if people describe him as a slogger He has a very simple technique, but he's not heaving away. There's a lot of strength in it but there's a lot of timing as well.""He is very tough mentally, and right from the time that he started playing for Natal, he had this gift of not giving the opposition too much respect. In a way, coming from Country Districts cricket and almost a non-cricketing background helped him.

Whoever he played against he didn't really give a damn about their reputation, he just got on and gave it hell."As far as Klusener's chances of batting higher than No 9 are concerned, and with today's game in mind, Ford added: "We don't really want to make his role too well known to anyone, but I think he'll have a different role from time to time, depending on the opposition."At Natal Klusener also benefited from the experience of Malcolm Marshall, and he was linked with a move to Marshall's former county, Hampshire, a couple of years ago but the South African cricket board intervened. By next season, though, it is unlikely that anyone would stand in his way should he wish to come to England, and if there is not a queue for his signature yet, there is likely to be a very long one as soon as the World Cup is over.. THE MAIN event might be at Wembley, but a most intriguing sideshow is promised at The Oval, where England meet South Africa. Not only is the result likely to have important ramifications for the Super Six stage to come, but it will also pit the backroom nous of the two outgoing coaches, Bob Woolmer and David Lloyd. With the former widely-touted to replace the latter, today's skirmish could also herald a glimpse of the future.

Depending on who you listen to, Woolmer is either a genius or a snake- oil salesman, a view encapsulated by the use of radio receivers in South Africa's match against India, an idea that while bold was also crass in its mockery of the spirit of the game. Therein lies the rub and, while his reputation as an innovative coach has largely been fuelled by his hyperactive mind, a receptive team led by two superb fast bowlers has helped to obscure the negatives. A disciplined, well-drilled unit, it is said that the main strength of Hansie Cronje's team is that there are no egos to contend with. If that is true, it clearly does not include their coach.Sounded out by the England and Wales Cricket Board, along with others such as Phil Neal and Jack Birkenshaw (Lloyd's own choice), Woolmer is, as one prominent member of the England Management Advisory Committee put it, "the favourite with the ECB suits". However, his unavailability until further notice, as well as a counter offer from Warwickshire (a club he coached from 1990-94), has given the impression that the tail is wagging the dog - a strange situation for a man whose recent CV includes coaching the first side to lose a five-match Test series to England in 12 years.Woolmer is a shrewd operator, and has so far kept everyone guessing. All he would say on the subject, as both teams practised at The Oval yesterday, was that nothing had changed from when he was first approached by Simon Pack, the ECB's international teams director."I have a role with South Africa in this World Cup, and I will not make a decision about my future until that is finished," Woolmer said. "I would like a rest and will do some radio this winter - that still stands. I don't want to be involved for a period after the World Cup.