Sport

SA taking no chances

Johannesburg, South Africa, cmc

DESPITE HAVING DOMINATED the West Indies in recent series, South Africa will still view the regional side as a threat when the series bowls off on March 31.

South Africa will play a depleted West Indies squad in the first Test after leading batsmen Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan were ruled ineligible for selection, and former captain Brian Lara opted not to sign an invitation to be part of the team.

Dispute resolved

Coach Ray Jennings yesterday said he hoped the dispute involving the West Indies Cricket Board, sponsors Digicel and Cable & Wireless, would be resolved but stressed that the impasse would not alter their approach to the series.

"Whether it is (resolved) or not will not affect how we approach the series," Jennings pointed out.

"Obviously, we would like to play the strongest opposition, but we have to focus on our own performance and not allow the problems in the opposition camp to distract us."

In the 15 Tests contested between the two teams, South Africa have won 12, the West Indies have captured just two while three matches have been drawn but Jennings said they would not be dwelling on the past.

"The past is history," Jennings told South Africa's Mail & Guardian On-Line newspaper before the team left yesterday for the West Indies.

"There's no point sitting back and saying, 'South Africa have a good record at the Wanderers,' and then we lose a Test there. It's the same with the West Indies."

He added: "We have to approach each Test without thinking about what happened in the past. Conditions change, players change and records mean nothing. We will approach each match as a new challenge, and focus on what we have to do."

South Africa are scheduled to play four Tests and five One Day Internationals against the West Indies and Jennings conceded that the near two-month series would be a tough one.

Tough touring

"Touring is always tough, with all the travelling we have to do - and that travelling includes getting to airports, sitting around waiting for flights, travelling to the hotels," Jennings pointed out.

"And when you tour the West Indies, there is the additional problem of passport control and customs at each new island."

He added: "And then each island is different. Touring the West Indies is like touring five or six countries on one tour. But we are all looking forward to it, and we want to come away with a series win. South Africa haven't played well away from home recently, and we are determined to turn that around."

South Africa, led by captain Graeme Smith, will start the tour with a three-day camp in Antigua before heading to Guyana for the first Test, which starts on March 31.

Jennings said the team planned to use the time in Antigua becoming acclimatised to the conditions in the Caribbean and working out their game plans.

"We'll be practising in those conditions and it will also give us a chance to iron out some of the niggles in the team," he said.

South Africa will be without strike bowler Shaun Pollock for the first Test after the paceman failed to recover from an ankle injury in time.

However, Jennings said while this was a blow, he believed this would create an opportunity for another player to stake his claim for a place in the team.

"We don't want any one player to dominate everything," he said.

"Hopefully, everyone will play their part in the success of the team. I expect the senior players like Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs, who have been there before, to lead the way and help the other players get used to the conditions."