Renault have told Russian Formula One rookie Vitaly Petrov that he must start scoring regular points to secure his future with the team.

Petrov has scored in only of his 10 races so far, when he finished seventh in China in April for six points. Polish team mate Robert Kubica’s tally stands at 83.

"His future is actually in his hands," principal Eric Boullier said in a Renault team podcast on their website (www.renaultf1.com).

"We have not been disappointed by him, he clearly is the best rookie in the paddock," added the Frenchman.

"He’s clearly today lacking some consistency to get the points he deserves and we definitely need to have both cars scoring points, so that’s obviously creating some rumours about him and his race seat," added Boullier.

"But we are totally committed to him. We are happy to have him on board and we will do everything we can to help him to get the final step to where we want him to be."

Renault have confirmed Kubica as their driver until the end of 2012 but his partner has not been confirmed, with various other names mentioned in media speculation including former world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Kubica told reporters at last weekend’s British Grand Prix that he wanted a strong team mate.

"It’s much better... to have two good drivers in the team," said the Pole. "Both drivers can help the team and help each other."

Shane Watson proved an inspired choice on Wednesday as Australia’s fourth bowler with his first five wicket haul in test cricket leading to a unique spot on the Lord’s honours’ boards.

Watson’s medium pace bowling has been thrust into the shadows with his successful elevation to opening bat in last year’s Ashes series.

But with heavy cloud cover over Lord’s for the second successive day in the first test against Pakistan, Australia captain Ricky Ponting judged correctly that Watson could be the man to use the conditions in much the same way as Mohammad Asif had for Pakistan on Tuesday.

Swinging the ball late from a full length, the powerfully built all-rounder responded with five for 40 from 7.5 overs, including 30 in 10 balls to Shahid Afridi during a frenzied assault which included four boundaries and two sixes.

Watson, whose figures had been suddenly transformed from two for nought to two for 30, held his nerve to dismiss the Pakistan captain caught at mid-off for 31 attempting another mighty drive.

He is now the first bowler to earn a place on a new honours board reserved for players who take part in a test featuring two overseas teams. In the only other such match so far, Charles Kelleway and Warren Bardsley scored centuries for Australia in a 1912 Triangular series test against South Africa.

INSPIRATIONAL MILLER

Like the majority of Australian test cricketers, Watson possesses a keen sense of history and he was well aware that the greatest Australian all-rounder of them all, the glamorous Keith Miller, figures on both the batting and bowling boards with 109 in 1953 and five for 72 followed by five for 80 three years later.

"In my first test here I have been looking up at both boards, the bowling and the batting, but especially the bowling, and seeing Keith Miller and what he was able to do getting 10 wickets in a test match," Watson told a news conference.

"He’s someone who really continues to inspire me."

Watson has been an instant success at opener with his power and sound technique, scoring seven half-centuries and a century in his first eight tests at the top of the order.

He said he worked hard on his bowling, conscious that he could still have a job to do in both disciplines, especially after he made only four in Australia’s first innings.

I know that opening the batting, my important role is to score runs," he said. "My bowling has probably been a little bit on the back burner.

"But I’ve also to make sure I’m contributing to the team as well and in the first innings I didn’t contribute at all with the bat so I knew I had to contribute in some way.

"It’s nice that today it came together really well. It’s something that I will continue to get my head around and try to adapt because my position in the team has changed quite significantly to what it as a couple of years ago.

"I’m still trying to find the perfect balance between my batting and my bowling."

Bafana Bafana is expected to have a new coach on Thursday.

The South African Football Association (Safa) is expected to confirm Pitso Mosimane as Carlos Alberto Parreira’s successor.

Safa President Kirsten Nematandani and CEO Leslie Sedibe will make the announcement.

It has been a badly kept secret that Mosimane would take the hot seat after the World Cup but the process has been prolonged by an assessment by the association’s Technical Committee.

Nematandani put any doubt to bed when he was quoted this week as saying that the former SuperSport United mentor would take over the coaching job, after ironing out some contractual sticking points with Safa.

Mark Cavendish will be the rider to watch as the Tour de France leaves the mountains for the flat in a 184.5-km 11th stage from Sisteron to Bourg les Valence on Thursday.

The Briton won the last two sprints before the Alps and while most of his rivals also made it up the mountains without too much damage, he fared unusually well in altitude.

"Cav did very well in the mountains. We were very happy and somewhat surprised that he was never in any trouble," said one of his Columbia team directors, Allan Peiper.

"He feels very well and his morale is high," he added.

A 13th career stage win in Bourg-les-Valence would make the Isle of Man rider the most successful sprinter in the Tour de France in the last two decades -- a feat achieved in only three years.

The sprinter with the most Tour stage victories is Frenchman Andre Darrigade, with 22 wins over 11 years.

But Cavendish should beware of American Tyler Farrar, whose broken wrist is feeling better, Norway’s green jersey holder Thor Hushovd and Italy’s Alessandro Petacchi, also winner of two stages.

The Briton took some comfort in Wednesday’s 10th stage by beating them all in the peloton’s sprint for ninth place.

The Northerns Cricket Union is spending a R250,000 to rehabilitate the SuperSport Park outfield after hosting the Centurion FanFest there.

In the space of just 32 days, the venue welcomed double the number of people it usually hosts over an entire six-month cricket season. But the fans trampled on the oval, not the grassy embankments as usual.

Now that the football is over, turf experts have six weeks to prepare the outfield for the first Champions League match on 12 September.

It is a task the Northerns Cricket Union’s Elise Lombard said is no problem for their groundskeeper Hilbert Smith.

She said the good weather over the tournament meant the field was not as badly damaged as they had anticipated.