The West Indies do not have a good record in South Africa, but captain Chris Gayle believes they should be able to turn things around on their coming tour of this country.
Speaking just after the team’s arrival from Zimbabwe on Monday, Gayle said he thought there was an excellent spirit within the West Indies team, and that the mixture of youth and experience in the squad would help them compete well against the Proteas.
”South Africa are a very good team and they are playing some good cricket at the moment,” he said. ”They won in Pakistan and they beat New Zealand here, but we came here to win and we will be doing everything we can to do that.
”I believe the batting will decide who wins. The wickets here are good for batting, and we will try to win more sessions so that we can take control of the matches. But we know that South Africa are a difficult team to beat at home.”
The West Indies open their tour with a benefit match against the Makhaya Ntini XI at Buffalo Park in East London on Friday, and Gayle was full of praise for the man voted most popular sportsman in South Africa.
”He brings so much energy to the game,” he said. ”He is a great personality and I’ll do everything I can to support his benefit year. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play but I will be there.”
He also praised young fast bowler Dale Steyn, who took ten wickets in successive Tests against New Zealand.
”I haven’t actually seen him, but anyone who takes 10 wickets in a Test match must be a pretty decent bowler. We will be looking at some footage to see how to deal with him.”
Gayle is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained during the West Indies’ tour of Zimbabwe, where they won the five-match one-day international series 3-1, with the last match washed out by rain.
”I’m having physio and the injury is gradually getting better,” he said. ”I hope to be able to play in the warm-up match [against South Africa A]”.
Team manager Sir Clive Lloyd said the team would quickly adjust to the longer form of the game after the one-day series in Zimbabwe.
”The important thing is we got some cricket under our belts, and we had some experience of the kind of conditions we can expect,” he said. ”There is a warm-up game, and that will give us time to prepare for the Tests.”
The West Indies have yet to win a Test match in South Africa, and of the nine Tests they have played here, they have managed just one draw. The Proteas have won nine of the 12 one-day internationals between the two teams in South Africa.
The two teams meet in a Standard Bank Pro20 match at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, after which the West Indies return to East London for the four-day match against South Africa A, beginning on December 19.
There will be three Tests, in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban, followed by a Pro20 match and five one-day internationals. — Sapa