South Africa may be without their most experienced bowler when they meet the West Indies at Newlands on Sunday in the first of five one day internationals. Former skipper and opening bowler Shaun Pollock will face a late fitness test on Sunday after injuring his shoulder in a provincial game earlier in the week.
While Pollock is cautiously optimistic that he will be declared fit, team management has nevertheless made contingency plans.
The most striking of those plans is selecting Albie Morkel for his first international. The other is putting on hold a new strategy that will see Makhaya Ntini surrender his grip on the new ball.
With Andre Nel bowling with exceptional pace and aggression this summer, it was always likely that he would be rewarded with the new ball.
”Even before Polly was injured, I was thinking of giving Nella the new ball,” explained captain Graeme Smith. We’ve always been good up front but after the openers have gone we’ve struggled a bit. ”Maybe we just had too many bowlers who were too similar.
”Now I’d like to have Makhaya bowling aggressively in the middle of the innings.” If Pollock fails that fitness test, however, Ntini will open the bowling with Nel.
According to Pollock, though, such a contingency plan will not be necessary.
”I think I’ll be okay,” said Pollock after a session with team physiotherapist Shane Jabaar. ”I actually don’t know how I injured it but it must have been while playing for Natal the other night.
It’s a bit stiff and bruised and I’m a bit restricted, but I think I’ll be fine.”
An unfit Pollock though will give Morkel his first cap.
”It will have to be Morkel,” responded Smith. ”He’s the only other seam bowler in the squad.”
The 22-year-old Morkel won his place in the side after a fine tour of Australia with the South Africa A side last summer. He followed that up with a belligerent ton in difficult conditions against the Windies in Benoni earlier this month.
The Windies meanwhile were given a sorely needed confidence boost by hammering South Africa A by 66 runs in Paarl on Friday night.
SA squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Mark Boucher, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Morne van Wyk.
West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Ryan Hurley, Ian Bradshaw Ricardo Powell, Kurt Wilkinson. – Sapa