Andy Capostagno Cricket
The West Indies lost the second Test so badly that logic dictates the only way is up. But cricket is not always a logical game, even if it is sometimes extremely predictable. There has been talk of regeneration, but it would take an optimist of Pollyanna proportions to believe that the third Test will follow a different path from the second.
For one thing, South Africa will take the field with an unchanged team, as befits a side which is 2-0 up in the series. For another, there has been no visible change in the on-field attitude and performance of the West Indies.
Admittedly the tourists did win a game last week, the first such result of the tour, but as it was against a KwaZulu- Natal XI of the mix-and-match variety in a meaningless one-day game, it can safely be concluded that the West Indies do not consequently regard themselves as world beaters.
Nevertheless, the Chatsworth result may have convinced the Windies selectors to make changes for the Kingsmead Test. Franklyn Rose is fit again and his spell of 10 overs for 21 runs in Chatsworth should have consigned either Mervyn Dillon or Nixon McLean to 12th man
Rose bowls with exactly the kind of control at a healthy pace that was conspicuous by its absence in Port Elizabeth. He also moves the ball away from the bat and, while his heart has been questioned, the mere fact that he did not play in the first two games gives him a psychological advantage over his rivals for the third seamer’s spot.
The question of whether a fourth seamer will be included will hardly have been discussed. The reason for such certitude is due to the fact that the leg-spinner, Rawl Lewis, has bowled throughout this tour exactly like his job description would suggest: afterthought due to the injury to Dinanath Ramnarine.
So it will be either Dillon or McLean who makes up the balance (if that is the right word), and the selectors will be mindful less of bowling ability than batting talent in making their decision. McLean’s remarkable 31 off 12 balls at St George’s Park should earn him the nod even if his bowling has been consistently disappointing.
And the reason that batting in the lower order is important is that the upper order has been guilty of a dereliction of duty. Clayton Lambert got 50 in Chatsworth, but in a manner and against an attack that suggested he is no longer equipped to deal with the high quality bowling of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. Give the Guyanese left hander a flat pitch and a few medium pacers and he will propel the ball consistently to the boundary, but those items will be conspicuous by their absence at Kingsmead.
Groundsman Phil Russell is said to be attempting to produce that mythical creature, “a good cricket wicket”. That is to say, something which has enough bounce to keep fast bowlers and wrist spinners interested, with as little lateral movement, as possible to keep the batsmen happy at the same time. Don’t hold your breath. The Christmas air in Durban will be warm and clammy and if there is no sideways movement expect the South African team to take the field in Santa Claus outfits.
Batting will be difficult from day one and the side winning the toss can be expected to field first. The United Cricket Board (UCB) will be praying for a five-day game, but their prayers are likely to fall on deaf ears. Neither side is capable of batting for more than four sessions and the only way the match will extend into the fifth day is if there is some assistance from the elements.
Fortunately in Durban in December the elements always favour those who believe that cricket matches should not be allowed to interfere with the age-old colonial ritual of four o’clock tea. Even if it doesn’t rain the light will conspire against the game continuing much beyond three o’clock on most days.
To combat the conditions an early start has been decreed and the playing conditions allow time to be made up before and after regulation play on subsequent days. It is to be hoped that it doesn’t get too ridiculous for, if the start were to be brought forward to 8.30am a few members of either side might only just be returning to their hotel.
Which is not to libel any of the professionals involved in the proceedings, but merely to point out that a cricket test is not the only thing going on in Durban over the festive season.
It is to be hoped that the UCB gets the crowds to Kingsmead that it is hoping for. It is more likely, however, that the great South African public will weigh up the merits of a demotivated West Indies team against the charms of the beach and decide to get the surfboard out of the airing cupboard.