Chanderpaul confident of Oval victory

WITH the return of key players including star batsman and former captain Brain Lara, opener Chris Gayle, batsman Ram-naresh Sarwan and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, new West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul is confident of a win against the South Africans in the Second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval tomorrow. Chanderpaul led from the front with a double century as he marshalled a severely depleted Windies squad to a draw against the “Proteas” in the First Test at Bourda, Guyana, last week.

For the first four days of that match, the Windies were in command before the South African batsman batted out all of the fifth day to escape with honours even. However, while acknowledging his side would come into the Second Test much stronger, Chanderpaul said he still felt for the younger players who were dropped to make room for the return of the four key players. With the return of the four, younger players’ Narsingh Deo-narine, Donovan Pagon, Devon Smith and Darren Ganga, who all played in the First Test, have been dropped.

“I feel for the youngsters who have been forced out with the return of the four stars,” Chanderpaul said moments after arriving at Piarco International Airport with his wife and fellow team members. With the return of Lara, Gayle, Sarwan and Bravo and the Windies exceptional performance in Guyana, sales for tickets to the Trinidad Test match have reportedly been selling fast. “Brian is our best batsman so it is always great to have him in the squad, but I do feel sorry for the youngsters who had to give way. On the other hand, I believe the team is a much stronger one than in the First Test and we should do well here in Port-of-Spain,” Chanderpaul added.

West Indies cricket officials on Monday recalled Lara and three other previously ineligible players for the series against South Africa. Lara was recalled along with Sarwan, Gayle and Bravo. The WICB previously ruled them and three others ineligible because of their personal endorsement contracts with British-based telecommunications giant Cable & Wireless, a rival of the Irish company Digicel, which is the Windies’ new sponsor. The batsman-friendly conditions in Guyana will be replaced by the results-oriented strip at the Oval, which could offer greater assistance to the bowlers, especially the seamers.

It’s something that South African skipper Graeme Smith hopes will favour his team. “We were completely outplayed on the first three days, but finally got things going and earned a draw. We are still learning about the conditions in the Caribbean, so it’s taking us a while to settle down.”