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MAKHAYA NTINI'S conviction for rape here yesterday, devastating for the 21-year-old Xhosa fast bowler, presented an opportunity to his replacement in South Africa's World Cup squad, Alan Dawson, to live up to the expectations of many who believed he should have been an original inclusion.

The Western Province player has struggled for the past six years to command a regular place in his powerful provincial side and was frequently overlooked as a cricketer with international potential, despite frequent match-winning performances with bat and ball, when given the chance. He has been supplementing his earnings by running a small landscape-gardening business.

Mvuzo Mbebe, the chief executive of the National Sports Council, who oversee sport in South Africa and have been outspoken in their criticism of the ``lillywhite'' composition of national cricket teams, said he was ``shocked'' but that it was ``right'' that Ntini had been dropped. There was no mention of Ntini's replacement being white, leaving just the Cape Coloured Herschelle Gibbs to represent the non-white community in England this summer.

At just 5 ft 8 in and 11 stone, the 27-year-old Dawson will not frighten anybody, but his natural ability to swing and seam the ball sharply at unexpected pace, and his exceptional determination with the bat, make him a formidable opponent. In the Commonwealth Games semi-final in Kuala Lumpur, he added 34 for the final wicket with Nicky Boje to beat Sri Lanka and advance to the final, where a full-strength Australian side were soundly beaten. Ntini, while undoubtedly talented, battled with injuries and lack of form for much of this domestic season.

For Ali Bacher, the United Cricket Board's managing director, the court's ruling was another blow in a sequence of set-backs.

He has been criticised by the public over his decision not to renew Bob Woolmer's contract as national coach. And his attempt to block Pakistan's attempt to appoint South African provincial coach Richard Pybus as technical assistant on a temporary basis during the World Cup opened him to ridicule.

Now he has to answer for his comments on the Ntini case - not for publicly supporting the player but for questioning the veracity of the victim from the time the accusation was made.

``We believe rape is a heinous crime and our previous and current comments on this matter must not be construed in any other light,'' Bacher said yesterday.

Pybus, Ntini's provincial coach at Border, left South Africa yesterday to join up with the coach-less Pakistanis, having claimed, understandably, that he could not harm South Africa's chances of victory because he had never been involved with the national squad.

As for Bacher, his significant profile, and the huge respect that he commands, seems more international than domestic these days. He confirmed that he will be stepping down as managing director in June 2000 to concentrate on organising the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.