If the 29-year-old all-rounder -- who lines up for Zimbabwe against New Zealand in their Super Six clash here on Sunday -- had any lingering regrets, he dismissed them in perfect fashion against South Africa at Chelmsford on May 29.

Playing against many of his old team-mate and friends, he took three wickets with his right-arm swing bowling and scored 76 runs to win the game for Zimbabwe. "It was the greatest day of my cricketing career. I hope they think they lost someone who could have played for them," he said of the South Africans. "But they could never admit it."

Johnson was born in Harare but has played most of his cricket in Natal in South Africa. He also toured Zimbabwe withSouth Africa A in 1994-95. "I grew up with Pollock and Klusener and I've known Jonty Rhodes the longest," he said. The call to play alongside them for the Proteas, however, never came. Last year, Johnson was awarded Zimbabwean citizenship and made an immmediate impact for his adoptive country. First he took four wickets on his Test debut, including the highly-valued scalp of India's Sachin Tendulkar.

Then in his second Test, he made a 107-ball hundred in Pakistan that formed the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's first ever Test series win.

He has also been a building block for the team's success here. He has not looked back since scoring 59 and taking four for 42 in his first gameagainst Kenya. After the first round, he had 10 wickets at 16.90 apiece, his economy rate 4.3 runs an over. That put him 11th in the bowling averages. His 156 runs at an average of 31.20 make him the tournament's 27th most successful batsman.

He will be aware, however, that his one international setback in his short internationalcareer came against Sunday's opponents. Bowling the final over of the match, at the mini World Cup in Dhaka last October, Johnson conceded 15 runs as Chris Harris snatched victory with a boundary off the final ball. "Harris hit me over extra cover for four to win it," he recalled.

With history beckoning Zimbawe as they attempt to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time, Johnson will be determined not to allow that one lapse to re-occur.

No plans to retire, says Walsh

Veteran West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh has no plans to retire until he becomes the world's leading Test wicket taker.

Walsh, West Indies' most successful bowler with 11 wickets in their unsuccessful bid to reach the second stage of the World Cup, has 423 Test scalps, 11 short of the world record held by Kapil Dev.

Walsh, 36, told Sky Television that the expected rest he would get by not playing english county cricket for Gloucestershire this summer would give him a chance to recharge his batteries.

"Now I'vegot a rest so I may be fresh for (the Test series in) England next year," Walsh said.

He said he was motivated to continue playing following rewarding series against South Africa and Australia when he captured 22 and 26 wickets respectively. "I had very good series in South Africa and the Caribbean and I've now got the option of getting the highest number of Test wickets," Walsh said. "I would have been satisfied with 400 but I have the chance of getting past two great bowlers, Sir Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev."