Nel's bells

Never mind the West Indies' chances of pulling off a fairytale victory, or South Africa's hopes of returning to the emphatic cricket that won them the first two Tests, or even the ten wickets that would enable Shaun Pollock to succeed Allan Donald as South Africa's most prolific wicket-taker. The fourth Test starts at Centurion on Friday, but none of those weighty points is being pondered anything like as ponderously as the exact time that play will cease on the second day.

And all because Andre Nel and his fiancé, Deanne Weitz, chose January 17, 2004, as their wedding day.

The close is scheduled for 5.30pm local time (3.30pm GMT). Nel's nuptials are due at 6.30pm. The odds on how many paces Nel will cut from his run-up should he be bowling on Saturday afternoon, and should the South African over rate be lagging, have yet to be calculated.

But it's a safe bet that Nel won't be spending too much time on the lingering glares and spectacular displays of his tongue that he has added to his repertoire this season, along with a dash of genuine pace.

"If he's late for the wedding, then he's late," said Gerald de Kock, the United Cricket Board's media manager, when asked if there were contingency plans in place should Saturday's play run over schedule. "He's committed to being part of the team, and he will be at the ground until he is finished with cricket for the day."

All this frivolity is hogging the headlines because the series died as a contest when the third Test, in Cape Town, was drawn. That earned South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead, and with that most of the serious discussion about the remaining match dried up.