The United Cricket Board is unlikely to have anything to do with the Gauteng Cricket Board's inquiry into South African cricket, announced at the weekend in the wake of the Daryll Cullinan affair.

For reasons no one fully understands, the GCB took it upon themselves to stage an inquiry into Cullinan's actions last week when he withdrew from the South African team for the second Test after failing to be given what he believed to be an appropriate contract.

On Wednesday the GCB announced that Cullinan had been suspended pending an inquiry into the matter. The inquiry was held on Saturday after which the GCB announced it planned to broaden the scope of its inquiry into pretty much South Africa as a while.

Unfortunately, the union neglected to inform the UCB of its intentions before making them public. UCB officials have reacted with a mixture of incredulity any and annoyance and UCB vice-president Robbie Kurz said on Monday that all the issues raised by the Cullinan affair would be discussed at the General Council meeting on March 21 and 23.

With UCB president Percy Sonn out of the country observing the Zimbabwe elections, it has been speculated that Gauteng's actions may have be the precursor of another bid by GCB chairman Dr Mthuthuzeli Nyoka to oust Sonn at this year's UCB annual meeting.

Alternatively, the GCB may have realised that it has little part to play in what is a dispute between the UCB and Cullinan and may now be seeking ways to save face after what seems to be a gross over-reaction.

Plans for a strategic overhaul of South African cricket are at an advanced stage and it is difficult to understand exactly what purpose the GCB's inquiry will serve. The GCB has said that its inquiry will be conducted on a voluntary basis. The union may well find precious few volunteers prepared to give this inquiry the time of day.

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