OBAKENG MELETSE
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad is happy with their preparations leading to the first Test match against the West Indies at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago that starts tomorrow (first ball 4pm, SA time).
Having had a lot of question marks prior to the four-day tour match against the West Indies Championship XI, Conrad feels he has got all the answers he needed as the first Test match approaches. The Proteas will go into the encounter as favourites even though, much like their opponents, they are well short of experience.
They have a young side but they will have history leaning heavily towards them.
South Africa haven’t lost a series against the West Indies since the 1991/92 season, and they have won 22 off the 32 matches played, with only seven ending in draws and the home side winning only three fixtures.
Despite the history and the lack of experience in the West Indies team, Conrad believes that they still carry a lot of threat.
“We are certainly not going to be underestimating them in any way,” he said.
“I don’t think they are as inexperienced as we would like to believe. They have added three Test matches under the belt (against England). They are a bit like us, they don’t get to play a lot of Test cricket, so whatever bit of experience we get counts for a lot.
“We are in a similar boat when talking experience, especially in the batting line-ups. We are looking forward to an exciting battle. We know they are a tough team, especially in their conditions.
“We believe in our skill set. We know we are a quality Test side.
”Runs on the board will be critical, and the guys must bat for long periods of time, while putting spells together. Those are the basics of Test cricket.
“Against the West Indies in their own conditions will be the real thing, and we need to perform on those basics for an extended period of time and be disciplined in everything we do.”
The expectation after a few previous practice rounds at the Queens Park Oval is a lot of bounce and a quicker wicket, in comparison to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Ground, but Conrad is wary of the role spin might play in the match.
“The balance of the side is going to be important, it’s going to spin. If you look at the squad the West Indies have put together – not that we focus too much on that – but everything tells us it’s going to spin.
“The question is how early or how late in the game it’s going to spin. If it spins as much as we think it potentially could later on in the game, then yes, Aiden (Markram) can be effective.
“Whether he becomes a match winner I’m not sure but he can be very effective and the same as someone like (Tristan) Stubbs. Balancing that attack of ours (is important), whether it’s two first-choice spinners or we think someone like Aiden can do a good enough job as a second spinner, and determine how many batters we play and the amount of seamers.”