CAPE TOWN, South Africa, (CMC) - Their spirits lifted by a comfortable victory over the country’s second team in the only warm-up fixture, West Indies prepare to face South Africa in the opening encounter of a five-match One-day International series, today, at Newlands seeking a repeat of a famous win there almost a year ago.
Though both teams failed to advance out of the preliminary phase of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, the Caribbean side can look back with satisfaction at that thrilling curtain-raiser when, on the strength of a brilliant hundred by Brian Lara, they held off the challenge of the home team to pull off a three-run victory.
Much has happened since that encounter; not least South Africa’s comprehensive 3-0 triumph in the just-concluded four-Test series, but the sheer unpredictability of the shorter game ensures that the visitors will not be overawed by the task ahead of them.
Having used three slow bowlers effectively on a turgid pitch in completing a 65-run victory over South Africa-A in Paarl on Friday night, the visitors are again expected to rely on Chris Gayle, Ryan Hurley and Ricardo Powell to combine for a minimum of 25 overs.
The Newlands surface is unlikely to be as yielding as the one at Boland Park, where the trio stifled the home team’s quest for a target of just 231, but the anticipated return of one of the more mercurial characters in the South African game should mandate that similar tactics be adopted.
After an ugly public dispute with new captain Graeme Smith and a falling out with the country’s administrators that prompted legal action, Lance Klusener is set to return to the South African team for the first time since their World Cup ended with a tie against Sri Lanka in the last preliminary match.
The West Indies’ survivors from that competition will remember only too well his hurricane half-century that almost took his team to victory.
The muscular left-handed batsman remains a dangerous hitter, particularly in the final overs, but the general belief is that he is much more comfortable against faster bowling than the slower variety.
Before that confrontation develops, West Indies must first ensure that one of the most potent threats at the top of the order is neutralised.
After scoring hundreds in the last three Tests, Herschelle Gibbs is in the type of form that will leave opening bowlers regretting any indiscretion in line and length.
For all of his infuriating inconsistencies, Mervyn Dillon remains a handful when he gets the new ball in the right area, as he did in Paarl, while Ravi Rampaul’s excellent spell in the same match should be enough to earn him his first international appearance in South Africa.
In light of his greater experience and professional know-how, Vasbert Drakes is likely to replace Ian Bradshaw in the only change to the bowling line-up from two days earlier.
West Indies’ batting line-up should also see only one adjustment as vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan returns to the number three spot after Kurt Wilkinson failed to make an impression on Friday afternoon.
Yet it is no secret that while Lara remains the biggest prize of all, the South Africans are fearful of the potential for a devastating assault from the likes of Gayle and Dwayne Smith.
The pair scored sensational hundreds in the Test match at the same venue three weeks earlier, and while obvious flaws remain in the techniques of both players, the threat that they represent is enough to have the hosts uneasy the longer they are in the middle.
There is no question that South Africa have the greater overall strength, with the seemingly unstoppable Jacques Kallis looking to extend his run of hundreds to the ODIs, while Boeta Dippenaar is tipped to make a return in the middle-order after a successful ODI series in Pakistan last October.
The presence of Klusener and Robin Petersen alongside Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher gives the hosts a depth to their batting that the West Indies can only wish they possessed.
Makhaya Ntini, the most valuable player of the Test series, and fellow fast bowler Andre Nel combined for 51 wickets in the four Tests, but that may not necessarily translate to success in ODI cricket against players who revel in spectacular shot-making without the burden of lengthy occupation of the crease.
Facts and figures support South Africa, but the hackneyed phrase about cricket’s glorious uncertainties is never more apparent than in the instant thrill of the ODI variety. If for that reason only, the home team remains wary of a mercurial West Indies squad.
Teams:
SOUTH AFRICA (probable): Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Robin Petersen, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel.
WEST INDIES (probable): Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Ryan Hurley, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul. (CMC)