Buoyed by the success of their policy of identifying and picking young players with limited experience but clear potential, Sir Viv Richards and his fellow selectors yesterday snatched another from out of their hat.
They chose Dwayne Smith, a 20-year-old Bar-badian with modest statistical credentials, ahead of more familiar contenders for the current South African tour. The selection is expected to be confirmed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) today.
He is the second replacement they have had to find after choosing left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed for 19-year-old fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who withdrew with a back injury last week.
Smith comes in for Marlon Samuels, a player who himself was plucked from obscurity at the age of 19 and sent to Australia in 2001 as a substitute for Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
The damaged right knee that has plagued Samuels for the past two years, put him out of the game for six months in 2002 and led to his late arrival that limited him to one match in the World Cup has flared again.
Team manager Ricky Skerritt said he was given an MRI scan in Bloemfontein yesterday and been examined by a specialist who recommended further surgery on a joint that has already had two operations. Samuels is scheduled to leave for Jamaica today and seek further medical advice there.
His substitute is a dashing right-handed batsman, adequate medium-pace bowler and outstanding fielder. But his record in a couple of seasons for Barbados in both forms of the game is modest.
His solitary hundred, 102, was against the Leewards in Anguilla in the 2002 Busta Cup; he averaged 24.55 in eight Carib Beer Series matches last year and had one notable innings in the Red Stripe Bowl last October, an unbeaten 92, with nine sixes, against Guyana in the first round.
Richards and colleagues Joey Carew and Gordon Greenidge were clearly impressed with what they saw and, given the emergence of Fidel Edwards, Omari Banks, Jerome Taylor and Carlton Baugh from similarly unexpected choices, have been emboldened to pick him.
Their decision was probably also influenced by Smith's right-handedness in a team top-heavy with left-handers. Other main contenders, such as Devon Smith, Narsingh Deonarine, Ryan Hinds and Floyd Reifer would have added to the already long list of lefties, Brian Lara, Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs.
Another Dwayne, the 20yearold, delightfully named Trinidadian, Bravo, was another youthful righthander who might have caught their fancy.
Samuels' latest problem is a setback for a richly talented cricketer and for West Indies cricket. His casual approach to the game has hindered his development but immaturity does not last forever.
There is also some concern over the condition of Banks, the 21-year-old off-spinner and batsman from Anguilla who has fit so easily into Test cricket since his debut against Australia last April. Skerritt said he had complained of back pain following Wednesday's One-day match against Nicky Oppenheimer's Eleven. Two scans, one bone and one radioscope, were done on Friday and what the manager called "unusual inflammation" detected.
"Omari has had a cortisone injection in the offending area to try to clear the inflammation and kill the pain," Skerritt said.
"He is to rest until Wednesday when he'll have a bowl in the nets to make a further assessment."
Skerritt said veteran fast bowler Vasbert Drakes has been "given every chance" to recover from the strained intercoastal side muscle that has kept him out of action since the third One-day International in Zimbabwe 11 days ago.
"He is making good progress and we're hopeful he'll be ready for the Test," Skerritt said. "But we're taking all of our injuries one day at a time."