The conditions of early summer were never going to be hospitable for spin bowling, the bat still slides more than spins although the first signs of some purchase being available soon enough were to be seen as Adam Huckle turned one or two of his leggies on the same day. Spinners who had such a great time in 1996 have all been relegated to the background.

The hat-trick may have come against batting innocents. It may have sustained a World Cup tradition of hat-tricks since the first one, by Chetan Sharma for India against New Zealand at Nagpur in 1987, had raised many an eyebrow because the bowler's action was pretty suspect by then.There was this huge suspicion that the deliveries with which he bowled Ian Smith were actually thrown rather than bowled. ``Run out'' declared the more mischievous ones in the media box.

What it did was to save the declining profile of spin in this World Cup in which neither Shane Warne, who helped Australia beat the West Indies in Chandigarh, nor Anil Kumble who has had such roles to play in India's one-day triumphs had made any impact. Efficiency and economy have been the motifs more than wicket-taking and match-winning heroics.

Muthiah Muralitharan who is taking wickets by the bucketful in the County Championships was a pale shadow of himself in the World Cup as opposed to his dramatic spells in Sri Lanka's historic triumph in 1996.

In this World Cup, captains have been pleased if the specialised spinners have been getting through their quota of ten overs without too much damage to the match situation. The Shane Warne mystery is deepening. Is he the same leg-spinner who created such ripples in hiscareer? It appears batsmen are spotting him somewhat easily.

The batsmen reckon Warne is not the same bowler after the surgery to his shoulder. He is more easily read as the seam is visible in flight and so which way the ball is spinning is more easily seen. Warne himself believes that he has not been forced to bowl in a tight match situation in which he would have to perform under the greatest pressure. That day might come soon enough as the semi-finals are looming and warmer weather and drier pitches are being promised.

The advantage Australia and Pakistan may hold in the semi-finals over South Africa is the variety in the bowling. The Proteas have too much of the seam-up stuff and nothing by way of spin. They may regret that if the pitch in the middle of the week is more spin-friendly as it is known to be at Old Trafford.

The great tactical innovation of the '92 World Cup had been Dipak Patel bowling the new ball for New Zealand. Martin Crowe and the coach Warren Lees had put together a great formulaof taking on the world with surprising tactics like using bowling as deadly as a woman's powder puff. Spin and slow medium-pace were enhanced by the tactic of not giving any bowler more than three over spells so that batsmen could not get adjusted to their line and hit them to predetermined places in the field.

There is just no place for such tactics in a World Cup dominated by the seam bowlers who are using the white Duke's ball that has been moving all over the place. The only saving grace for batsmen has been the fact that because the Duke's ball has hand-sewn seams that last for a while, the old ball can be hit. The Kookaburra balls used in the previous two World Cups used to go too soft and so timing the ball to hit far in the end overs was a task beyond the best of batsmen.

The conditions and the ball have conspired to deny the art of spin in the fourth World Cup in England. So when Saqlain comes on to bowl right at the finish he is striking a blow on behalf of all his colleagues. And when hebamboozled Zimbabwe's last man with his undercutter that goes the other way, he was actually upholding the beauty of the art of spin bowling.