( L - R ) Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle - FILE
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, CMC
WITH MANY OF their players pushed beyond previously mediocre limits of fitness and endurance since arriving in Australia, the West Indies have an important opportunity to test the value of all that hard work against the Queensland Bulls in a four-day fixture, which started at Allan Border Field last night.
In their only warm-up match before the three-Test series against Australia begins in a week's time, the tourists are expected to field their strongest 11 against a home side that will also be at full strength.
With the Australian squad due to be announced, the match has an extra edge to it given the possible duels that could be repeated a week later at the Gabba.
Opening batsman Matthew Hayden and all-rounder Shane Watson, who are certain to be named in the hosts' Test squad, along with the rest of a solid Bulls' batting line-up should offer West Indies head coach Bennett King a proper assessment of how his battery of enthusiastic but still inexperienced fast bowlers will fare against Ricky Ponting's side.
The five pacers in the 15-man touring party have been singled out for additional work by relentless fitness trainer Bryce Cavanagh, and although the entire squad would have welcomed the day of recreation and relaxation on Tuesday at the Wet 'n Wild water park on the Gold Coast, 70 kilometres south of Brisbane, it would have been back to the hard grind of practice and training the day after as King seeks to banish the lethargy and generally lackadaisical attitude that have contributed in no small part to the Caribbean side's slide down the international ladder in the last decade.
Yet supreme fitness does not always translate into outstanding performances, and the Bulls seem to have the quality in all areas of their line-up to expose the visitors' weaknesses.
AGGRESSIVE STROKEPLAY
Despite the general preoccupation with star batsman Brian Lara, much will be expected from every member of the West Indies batting line-up as it is essential for them to get runs, and confidence, under their belts before the first Test.
Having endured a miserable Super Series, where he scratched together just 46 runs in five innings, Lara is as much in need of time at the crease as the rest of the top order.
Though noted for their aggressive strokeplay, openers Chris Gayle and Devon Smith will have to learn quickly that leaden-footed shot-making is not as easy to get away with on the bouncier Australian pitches, while skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan need to show that their highly respectable Test averages do not flatter them against some of the toughest, most uncompromising opponents in the game.
The sixth spot in the batting order should be a toss-up between Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels, both having played in the last series in Australia five years earlier, when the West Indies were whitewashed 5-0.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin has arrived Down Under with great expectations on his shoulders after being highly praised by former Australian captain Ian Chappell and wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who saw his accomplished glovework and determined efforts with the bat on his debut tour of Sri Lanka almost three months ago.
Dwayne Bravo returns to the all-rounder's spot after missing the Sri Lankan campaign with nine others due to the protracted sponsorship dispute.
His useful medium-pace could be valuable in support of the effort of the frontline pacers. With five to choose from, the West Indies selectors may opt for the most disciplined (Corey Collymore), potentially the most lethal (Fidel Edwards) and the one who has done the most recent damage to Australia (Jermaine Lawson) for this encounter.
Not that the Bulls will be at all intimidated. In the early days of the Australian domestic season, captain Jimmy Maher has racked up 252 runs in his last two innings, Hayden will be keen to build on his Man of the Match performance in the "Super Test" two weeks ago, while Watson would like to show the man he credits most for his cricketing development - King - how much he has progressed.
Add to that the experience of Andrew Symonds, former international Martin Love, another useful all-rounder in James Hopes and impressive wicketkeeper-batsman Chris Hartley, and the home team seem to have the depth to give the opposing bowlers an extended workout.
Queensland, who are taking on the West Indies for the first time in almost 17 years, will present the sort of challenging variety in attack that could serve the visiting batsmen in good stead ahead of the battles with Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Shane Warne and, possibly, Stuart MacGill.
YOUNG LEG-SPINNERS
Andy Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz may have been discarded from the Test team, but they are seasoned fast-medium bowlers, while left-armer Mitchell Johnson is being touted as a future Test prospect.
Mindful of what is likely to come in the Test series, King was able to secure the services of some young leg-spinners to prepare the West Indies batsmen at practice, and they will get more of the same in the four-day match with newcomer Ryan Le Roux expected to complement the off-spin of Chris Simpson.
Only the weather is standing in the way of what should be a keen contest, especially after what have been described as the worst thunderstorms in decades lashed south-eastern Queensland on Monday night, devastating acres of orchards and leaving many of the state's summer crops in ruin.
There was more heavy rain, deafening thunder and spectacular lightning flashes in Brisbane on Tuesday night, but the tourists can ill afford to lose any of their limited match-practice opportunity as they hope to reap the fruits of their hard labour Down Under in the lead-up to the Test series.
TEAMS:
QUEENSLAND BULLS (from) - Jimmy Maher (captain), Matthew Hayden, Martin Love, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Chris Hartley, Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ryan Le Roux, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Kasprowicz.
WEST INDIES (probable) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Jermaine Lawson.
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