The process of playing any sport is all about momentum, whether it's in a winning direction or towards losing. At Hampshire, we know all about losing runs and how hard they are to reverse, so we are enjoying the successful start to the season thus far and are determined to keep the ship going full steam ahead.

After getting off to a good start in the Championship with a win in our first game against Durham, we felt it equally important to get off on the right foot in the Totesport National League. Returning to Division 1 of this 45-over competition is going to be a tough proposition for us, having to match up with the likes of Surrey, Glamorgan and Lancashire - some of the most consistent one-day sides in recent years. But, victory at Edgbaston against Warwickshire last Sunday was exactly the fillip we needed to build confidence in our ability to beat quality teams.

Our win was relatively easy in the end, though the margin of 28 runs probably should have been rather more comfortable but for a late order charge from the Bears.

Graham Wagg, an England Academy graduate, had astonishingly lifted Shane Warne for 4 sixes, three in succession, to give Warwickshire a glimmer of hope after our seamers had piled on the pressure in the early part of their innings.

When Chris Tremlett and Alan Mullally returned at the death, three perfect yorkers sealed a deserved victory. On a grassy pitch that was clearly intended to negate Warney's threat, the ball seamed around consistently throughout the afternoon. Given that and the knee injury that kept John Crawley out of the game, we were very pleased to amass 214 with the bat. Most of the batters made some contribution though it was the acceleration at the end of the innings that pushed the game in our favour. It is not often that Dimi Mascarenhas' customary swashbuckling contribution is upstaged, but Shaun Udal produced an astonishing innings of 31 from just 9 balls. With the ball flying all over the place, it was a rare occasion that the dressing room were quite happy to see Dimi lose the strike at that stage of an innings.

The mainstay of our total was provided by Michael Clarke, who again showed serious class in his knock of 65. Clarkey, or 'Pup' as he is known, made light of the seamer friendly conditions by simply not allowing the bowlers to get away with anything off line or length. He has not only ability, but also an enormous energy both on and off the field, being very keen to contribute in any way that he can.

In many ways, Pup is under some pressure of expectation at the moment. He is just 23 but has been compared to a young Ricky Ponting and even to Barry Richards by some seasoned Hampshire watchers. He has recently signed the biggest sponsorship deal in Australian cricket - a three year contract with Dunlop Slazenger worth Aus$1.25 (over £500,000) - but has not played a Test match. Yet Pup seems to take it all in his stride. A typically laid back but fun-loving Aussie, he is clearly doing what he loves and appears completely unfazed by such attention and expectation. He is fresh and uncomplicated and makes quite a change to some of the egos strutting around the cricket scene.

In fact, we at Hampshire have been very fortunate on this front. Overseas players do not always mix well in dressing rooms around the counties, but this year, as throughout my experience, we have had some superb influences whose enthusiasm and eagerness to do well make a strong impression on the team.

At the moment, we anticipate that we will be losing Clarkey's services for a period in May/June when Australia are due to play one-dayers in Zimbabwe, and in August/September for the ICC Trophy. Of course, we are due to miss Warney for a couple of short periods too. With the originally planned replacement, Shane Watson, now included in the Australian one-day squad, we are currently looking at options for alternative cover. Of course, the current situation in Zimbabwe may change things.

The present turmoil in Zimbabwean cricket really is the huge story in the game currently. Unfortunately, it also seems to be symptomatic of the state of affairs in the country as a whole. One of the 15 "rebels" who recently have made a stand in the light of Heath Streak's controversial sacking as captain said that "the cancer of Zimbabwe cricket is at the heart of the board, and they won't want to change that. If that doesn't change, the policies running Zimbabwe cricket aren't going to change either."

At last it appears that the international cricket community as a whole are going to be forced to take some action. With the second string Zimbabwean side bowled out for just 35 by Sri Lanka the other day, there is a threat that Zimbabwe could be suspended from the ICC for devaluing international cricket. Certainly, the upcoming Test series with the Sri Lankans will be a farce, let alone the Australians' tour in a few weeks time. Any action will certainly aid the cause of the ECB, who themselves had been threatened with suspension from the ICC if England don't tour Zimbabwe in the autumn.

The morality of touring such a country anyway is at best extremely dubious, but with the ECB feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, this escalation in matters within Zimbabwe could well get them off the hook. Aside from interest due the humanitarian aspects and the potentially disastrous effects this issue may have on English cricket funding, it is an issue that we at Hampshire are keen to follow as we have several connections to the country.

Two Zimbabweans have been our overseas player in recent times - Heath Streak in 1995, and Neil Johnson in 2001 and 2002 - and, currently, we have Greg Lamb, who left Zimbabwe to pursue a cricket career over here three years ago. on the playing staff.