Windies face strong S/Africa ‘A’ in One-Dayer

PAARL: Still licking their wounds after a 3-0 loss in the preceding four-Test series, West Indies will test their ability to change gears effectively when they take on a strong South African ‘A’ team today at Boland Park in the prelude to the five-match One-Day International cricket series against Graeme Smith’s men. This day/night fixture in one of the most picturesque regions of the Western Cape should see all four players specially selected for the ODI series included in the visitors’ 11, particularly as three of them would have had no previous experience of playing under lights. Four of the five ODI’s against the South Africans will be day/night fixtures, starting with Sunday’s opener at Newlands in Cape Town. The exception is the penultimate encounter on February 1 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Hard-hitting batsman Ricardo Powell will be right at home in the conditions, having played many of his 79 ODIs under lights, but for Ryan Hurley, Kurt Wilkinson and Ian Bradshaw, this will be their only opportunity for acclimatisation to unusual conditions before the series gets going. Of the players who have been here since the start of the southern African tour, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul have also yet to play in a day/night ODI, and while the latter will have the chance to try and make an impression, it is likely that the speedy Barbadian will be rested after featuring in all four Tests against South Africa. Dwayne Smith, who joined the tour during the first Test at Johannesburg, also needs the experience of cricket under lights, and after being brought down to earth with a second innings ‘duck’ on the last day of the Test series on Tuesday, will want to prove that his debut hundred at Newlands was no flash in the pan.

With Wavell Hinds having returned home 11 days ago with a serious groin strain, of particular concern will be settling on an opening partner for Chris Gayle, whose devastating strokeplay in the longer version of the game has whetted the appetite for his appearances in the ODIs.
Both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs have experience at the top of the order in the abbreviated game, but after scoring a hundred for Barbados in the first round of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series as an opening batsman, Wilkinson could be given the opportunity to assess if he can be the ideal foil for the powerfully-built Jamaican left-hander. Whatever the final 11 determined, they will face a formidable challenge from a home team featuring seven players with senior international experience, including two — captain Neil McKenzie and fellow batsman Martin van Jaarsveld — who played in the Test series just ended.

Squads: SOUTH AFRICA ‘A’: Neil McKenzie (capt), Martin van Jaarsveld, Loots Bosman, Hashim Amla, Justin Ontong, Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje, Thami Tsolekile, Garnett Kruger, Mfuneko Ngam, Roger Telemachus.
WEST INDIES (from): Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Kurt Wilkinson, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Ryan Hurley, Vasbert Drakes, Ian Bradshaw, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards.