Napier, Mar. 29 : Batsman Jesse Ryder is on track to becoming the fastest New Zealand cricketer to reach 1000 test runs.

According to a Sunday Star report, Ryder has so far scored 768 runs from 14 test innings and needs another 232 to reach 1000.

The Kiwi record holders for the fastest 1000 runs, a benchmark in test cricket, are John F Reid and Mark Richardson, who both took 20 innings to post a grand.

Pretoria, Mar. 29 : Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting has identified big-hitting South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel as the player to stop in the Pro20 international on Sunday.

Morkel smashed four boundaries and two sixes to score 37 off 19 balls as South Africa beat Australia by four wickets on Friday to win the first Pro20 match at the Wanderers.

He also starred with similar late-innings hitting as the Proteas won a one-day international series 4-1 in Australia in January.

Miami  - Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray made competent starts at the Miami masters with the Spanish top seed producing a crushing 6-2, 6-2 win over Teimuraz Gabashvili on Saturday.

Nadal claimed his 22nd victory of the season against just two losses in the rout of the Russian. He was joined as a winner by sixth seed Juan Del Potro, who beat Argentine Marcello Vassallo Arguello by a similar score.

Murray took a set to get adjusted to the baseline backboard game of Juan Monaco before emerging from his first meeting with the Argentine a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner.

Buenos Aires  - Argentina coach Diego Maradona on Saturday praised Lionel Messi for his performance in the 4-0 win over Venezuela in Buenos Aires.

"Seeing Messi like this everyday is a pleasure. We should all leave the stadium, pay for another ticket and go in again," Maradona said.

Messi - who for the first time wore the number 10 Argentina jersey that was once worn by Maradona himself - was the man of the match in the resounding win. The Barcelona striker scored a goal and was decisively involved in two others.

Buenos Aires  - Lionel Messi rose to the challenge of wearing the historic number 10 Argentina jersey by leading his side to a comfortable 4-0 win over Venezuela Saturday in Buenos Aires, in Diego Maradona's official debut as Argentine national team coach.

Argentina thus redressed its course in the South American qualifiers towards the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and now stand second on 19 points from 11 games, four points ahead of leader Paraguay.