CRICKET: Durban - The West Indian cricketers take on a strong South African ``A'' team in a four-day encounter starting at Alexandra Park in Pietermaritzburg tomorrow (early morning Jamaica time), and with the all-important third Test following immediately, it should be a good indicator of the form and the mood of Brian Lara's team.
Two down after losing the first two Tests in the five-match series, the West Indies have to win the third if they hope to win the series. At worse, they have to draw it if they are to save the series.
The second Test defeat was followed by a two-hour, soul-searching team meeting, however, and since then, the players seem more focused and more together, there is now a look of determination in their eyes and, most importantly, they look like a happy bunch of cricketers ready to defend their honour.
The new-look West Indians won their first match of the tour on Wednesday when they crushed the Kwazulu-Natal Invitational XI with nearly half the overs to spare and with eight wickets in hand. According to Lara, it was a good performance - one which augurs well for the third Test starting on Boxing Day.
For tomorrow's match, the West Indies will hope, not only to convince all and sundry that all is well in their camp, but also to solve some problems.
The opening pair is the first of those problems and despite Wednesday's century stand between Clayton Lambert and Junior Murray, Lambert and Philo Wallace have been suffering at the hands of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and David Terbrugge and the team is hoping that Lambert and his partner, Wallace or Stuart Williams, will bat long and well against Klusener and company.
On Wednesday, Wallace said he was fine and had a short net session. Yesterday, however, he did not practice. Instead he visited the doctor as the uncertainty about what is his illness, how serious it is, and how long his recovery will take continues.
The second problem is the number six spot and although teenager Darren Ganga is tipped to get in after Floyd Reifer's disappointing performance in the second Test, he has failed in his past three innings and in order to convince Lara and company he is good enough, he needs to play well here.
The third problem is the support for Ambrose and Walsh, and the West Indians are hoping the performance of Franklyn Rose, Nixon McLean and Mervyn Dillon on Wednesday was the start of a new day for them.
The West Indies cause in the third Test at Kingsmead may be better served with right-arm legspinner Rawl Lewis around to support Ambrose, Walsh and probably Rose. The tour selectors, however, do not seem to believe so and, like Ganga, he too will need a good performance over the next four days to convince them.