West Indies in South Africa: Third Test build-up

As an exercise in co-ordinating strategy and preparing a team for the Test starting on Saturday, the four-dayer against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg was something of a failure. With so much time lost to bad light the West Indians only had two-thirds of an outing and most of the time it looked as if they were only giving two-thirds effort.

Nevertheless, Lloyd said he was confident the West Indies could reduce the series deficit to 2-1 at Kingsmead, without intimating just who would play. ``After the Port Elizabeth defeat we had a very long and frank meeting to thrash things out and face some harsh home truths. It was the kind of session we used to have in my days as captain. After the dust had settled, it usually brought us closer together and we came back stronger, as I'm sure we'll do in Durban.

``We lost the first two Test matches in Australia two years ago, we did the same sort of soul-searching then and came back to win the third Test. I believe the same thing will happen now,'' Lloyd said.

Both Lloyd and coach Malcolm Marshall say their Test team will only be finalised during the next couple of days of practice at Kingsmead, with the major problem areas being the opening batsmen, number six and the back-up bowlers to Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.

Philo Wallace has spent the last week gradually recovering from glandular fever and was back in the nets at Kingsmead while his team-mates took on South Africa A. He is still suffering from some blurred vision - apparently an after-effect of the medication he was on - and has not played since the game against Border during the first weekend of December; whether the selectors can choose him is open to question.

The opening batsmen permutations and the number six position hinge around Wallace's fitness. If he is available then he could open with Clayton Lambert, who has looked more settled in the last two matches, or with Stuart Williams, a fine player on his day. Or the selectors could stick with last weekend's pairing of Lambert and Williams.

If Lambert and Wallace open, then Williams will bat six to try and provide some stability in the lower middle-order. One thing is certain and that is that Floyd Reifer is not going to retain his place for the third Test and Junior Murray, a notable figure in the SA A game alongside Shivnarine Chanderpaul, will bat six if Williams opens. He will not disgrace himself given his batting both at the Oval and in last week's limited-overs match against a Natal XI in Chatsworth.

Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper and Brian Lara will fill the remaining batting spots, with wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs at seven and Ambrose and Walsh leading the bowling. That leaves room for two more bowlers and the first question is whether one of them will be the leg-spinner, Rawl Lewis.

Another leggie, Mushtaq Ahmed, bowled Pakistan to victory in the last Test played at Kingsmead and it is generally accepted these days that a team must have a spinner when playing there. The West Indians could entrust offie Hooper with the spinning duties, but the vice-captain might not appreciate a new burden while he is trying to find his best batting form.

Lewis was impressive at the Oval over the weekend, with the batsmen often guessing what he was up to, and he should have had more than two wickets. An attacking bowler, the bounce at Kingsmead would help him and he could pose even more problems for the South African batsmen than he did at the Wanderers, where he played after arriving from India on the morning of the match.

If the West Indians decide to unlease a four-pronged pace attack on the South Africans, then two of Franklyn Rose, Nixon McLean and Mervyn Dillon will play.

Although hardly support bowlers in the mould of those champs of yesteryear - Marshall, Michael Holding and Patrick Patterson all began their international careers as first-change bowlers - their potential is not doubted.

Either Dillon was treated very badly at the Oval by being given only nine overs or the powers-that-be have decided he will definitely retain his place from Port Elizabeth and Rose and McLean were being watched and graded against each other for the final berth.

Rose was praised by Marshall after the match but whether that will be enough for him to win his Test place back remains to be seen.

In contrast, the South Africans will gather in Durban today brimful of confidence. Although their batsmen will need to draw on new reserves in the illusive quest for tons, the same top six that played in Port Elizabeth has been named for Durban while the bowlers should remain unchanged, with Paul Adams once again relegated to carrying the drinks.

A winning side is a happy one and selectorial stability breeds confidence, so the South Africans are in good shape to continue their mastery over the West Indians, who will have few crumbs of comfort this Christmas time.

Squads:

South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Hansie Cronje (capt) Jonty Rhodes, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Pat Symcox, Allan Donald, David Terbrugge, Paul Adams.

West Indies: Clayton Lambert, Philo Wallace, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper, Brian Lara (capt), Stuart Williams, Ridley Jacobs, Rawl Lewis, Franklyn Rose, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Junior Murray, Nixon McLean, Mervyn Dillon, Darren Ganga, Floyd Reifer.

Umpires: Russell Tiffen (Zim) and Dave Orchard (SA)
TV Umpire: Cyril Mitchley (SA).

TV: From 10 am on SABC 1 and SuperSport 2 on DSTv. There will be an SABC television blackout of the first two sessions on Sunday in the Greater Durban area that will extend to Mooi River.