Adams' successful bowling rehabilitation

As you would expect from a young man who has had his more share of attention than most sportsmen, Paul Adams was far from fussed by it all during his four days at the indoor nets at SuperSport Park.

Questions ranging from the fitness of his damaged knuckle of his left hand to how he felt about the tour of Sri Lanka met with a casual shrug of the shoulders as he went through a lengthy spell of bowling rehabilitation in Centurion.

Apart from helping himself to plate of prawns and watching some Super12 rugby, the 23-year-old bowled a lot, talked a lot to leg-spin guru Terry Jenner and passed the time of day with national coach Graham Ford at the four-day wrist spinner's course which ended yesterday.

Adams, however, happily admitted his "bowling was coming along nicely" and both Ford and Jenner seemed satisfied with the results of the exercise and that there were no apparent after affects from a long lay-off as a result of cracking the knuckle of the fourth finger of his left-hand on the final day of the rain-affected Test against South Africa at Centurion.

South Africa's now disgraced captain, Hansie Cronje, at the time lamented the wrist-spinner's absence on the last afternoon of the now controversial last day's play of the game won by England ,but now subject to possible enquiry when the King Commission into player dishonesty and alleged match fixing is held.

The injury meant Adams was unable to make the tour of India for the two Tests which South Africa won 2-0. Now Adams is preparing for Sri Lanka and what he hopes is his comeback tour of the war-torn island now six weeks away.

Jenner, Shane Warne's mentor, still has to "report back to the Doc" (Dr Ali Bacher, UCB managing director of the United Cricket Board) on his views of the success or otherwise of the course, but along with Ford seemed quite happy with the bowling of Adams.

Adams toured the various centres with Jenner last year and the result saw him make a successful return to the Test side in Bloemfontein against Zimbabwe in the first Test of the nine South Africa played last season.

This time the wrist spinners course was centralised in Centurion and at facilities which Jenner described as "out of this world" with Adams able to concentrate on his bowling in longer spells.