OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 4.00pm
ALTHOUGH the Proteas will have to do without Lance Klusener’s bowling in the first one day international on Thursday, there’s still the fearsome South African pace attack for India to contend with.
“It’s unlikely at this stage that he will bowl. The physio has asked us to take it easy,” coach Graham Ford said of the twisted ankle Klusener sustained while practising for the second Test last week. The injured World Cup star still managed to hit a top-scoring 97 in South Africa’s significant Test series win on Monday.
With “Zulu” out and Allan Donald returning home, Ford and captain Hansie Cronje will have to look closely at their bowling.
The blistering pace of Mornantau Hayward has confounded the Indian batsmen, while there’s always Shaun Pollock’s economical bowling and Jacques Kallis to rely on.
With the emergence of Nicky Boje, there should be much relief in the South African camp.
Boje ended with the second Test with figures of 5/83 in 38 overs, including 14 maidens, and scored 85 to net the man-of-the-match award.
The tour party includes a choice of Steve Elworthy, Henry Williams and Derek Crookes.
Meanwhile, India will be hoping to turn around a run of bad form after series losses to South Africa and Australia.
Opener Sourav Ganguly will have the added burden of being the new captain. He’ll hopefully not interrupt the proceedings mid-way through an over to re-organise his fielders like his predecessor Sachin Tendulkar so annoyingly did in the Tests.
Both teams will only be named before the match begins at 5.30am SA time on Thursday — when ZA*SPORTS will begins it’s reporting.
South African squad:
Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Hansie Cronje (capt), Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (v/c), Mark Boucher (w/k), Nicky Boje, Mornantau Hayward, Pieter Strydom, Neil McKenzie, Dale Benkenstein, Steve Elworthy, Henry Williams, Derek Crookes.
Indian squad:
Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Mohammad Azharuddin, Mohammad Kaif, Robin Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Nikhil Chopra, Amit Bhandari, Samir Dighe (w/k), T Kumaran, Sunil Joshi.