OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 6.50pm.
THE South African “A” team which meets the touring West Indies at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Saturday are certain to be in for some fireworks.
The team, skippered by Gauteng wicketkeeper Nick Pothas, is woefully underprepared for the near-Test situation and half the team will only arrive in Pietermaritzburg shortly before the start of the match.
The Windies, however, are fresh from their first win on tour and will be looking to find a rich vein of form before the third Test against South Africa which kicks off on December 26.
Boeta Dippenaar and Sven Koenig have been entrusted with opening the South African innings and will face up to an attack which will probably be devoid of Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose.
This, unfortunately, will not make their task any easier as Nixon McLean, Franklyn Rose and Mervyn Dillon will have quite enough pace between them to make even veterans uncomfortable.
Apart from Test hopefuls Koenig and Dippenaar, Lance Klusener, Paul Adams and Mkhaya Ntini will be looking for solid performances in order to win back their Test spots.
Squads:
SA “A”:
Nic Pothas (c), Sven Koenig, Boeta Dippenaar, Martin van Jaarsveld, Ashwell Prince, Justin Kemp, Lance Klusener, Shafiek Abrahams, Paul Adams, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Willoughby, Victor Mpitsang.
West Indies:
Clayton Lambert, Stuart Williams, Brian Lara (c), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Floyd Reifer, Darren Ganga, Carl Hooper, Ridley Jacobs, Junior Murray, Rawl Lewis, Nixon McLean, Franklyn Rose, Mervyn Dillon, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Philo Wallace.