Second Test starts today …
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – West Indies will have to improve significantly if they are to preserve some degree of pride, and prevent South Africa from winning the second Test, which opens today at Warner Park.
West Indies trail 0-1 in the three-match series, following a 163-run defeat inside four days in the first Test at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
It’s hard to determine from where the inspiration will come, following a string of dismal performances stretching back to the Twenty20 World Cup which have done very little to engender confidence.
There is additional pressure on West Indies to win this match, since a defeat would leave South Africa a heartbeat away from becoming the second international side to sweep a Test series in the Caribbean, following Bangladesh last year. 
A Test series sweep at the hands of the South Africans would definitely signal that West Indies have now hit rock-bottom, since it could be argued that Floyd Reifer’s side was depleted by the strike action taken by the top players, to force the West Indies Cricket Board into improving terms and conditions.
“We played some poor cricket in the first Test in Trinidad, so we have come here to St. Kitts, and we are confident we can put it right,” said West Indies captain Chris Gayle.
“The (crowd) support here has always been good, so we look forward to similar support from the lovely people of St Kitts during this match as well.”
He added: “We’re 1-0 down, but we still have a lot for which to play. This will be a nice place to have a turnaround.
“The pitch looks to be a very good one to bat one. We have to step up and get some runs on the board, and give the bowlers something at which to bowl. We have to be up and ready to go. This is a crucial Test match. Warner Park has been a good ground for us in the past.”
Though the Kittitians enjoy hearing Gayle speak with such fondness of their island, and the little ground, nestled in the capital, they and all West Indies fans would love to see a dramatic improvement in the batting in particular.
West Indies were bowled out for 102 in the first innings in the first Test to hand the Proteas a 250-run first innings lead, and were then dismissed for 293, chasing a highly improbable, if not impossible target of 457 for victory.
Since the West Indies selectors have resisted wisdom and not changed the squad, it means that the players from the Trinidad match have essentially been rewarded for failure, and this makes it difficult to identify from where West Indies will get the spark.
“We have lost all the games so far, but we are still confident we can do well,” said Gayle.
“We sat down, and had a lot of game assessments, and looked carefully at where we went wrong, and the mistakes we have to correct.”
He said: “We know it’s the batting department, and we have called on everyone to put his hands up, and take responsibility out there in the middle, and not leave it for anyone else.
“We expect every individual to play a part, and help out in the batting department.”
On the bowling side, Kemar Roach is expected to make the cut, and he will be needed after the seam bowlers took one wicket between them in Trinidad.
The bulk of the bowling was handled by the spinners, but the small boundaries and flat pitch may transform them into cannon-fodder for the experienced South African batting.
“We had some injuries here and there ahead of the first Test, so hopefully we will have Kemar Roach in the bowling attack and he can bring a boost to the attack,” said Gayle.
“It was also very good to see Sulieman Benn have a good match with the ball, picking up crucial wickets at crucial times in both the first innings and the second innings.
“Shane Shillingford also bowled very well in his first Test match, and I was very impressed with the way he handled himself. He has been outstanding for the Windwards over the years so it is good to see the way how he performed when he was given an opportunity at this level.”
But they will need runs, and the South Africans have every intention to plunder the West Indies to put themselves in a good place to win.
“We have got less than 15 days to go on this tour and this is when things other than cricket tend to enter your head,” said South Africa captain Graeme Smith.
“Our focus will be on the fact that there is a long way to go to win the series, and there is a lot of cricket to be played over the next five days. Our focus needs to be on how we can win the Test match and nothing else.”
The South Africans are likely to stick with the combination that did well in the first Test, although there may be a temptation to add a second spinner.
“Everybody has been pretty consistent and performed the roles we have had for them throughout the trip,” said Smith. “I don’t see from what is on offer here that changes are going to be needed.
“Some of the guys haven’t had much cricket in this form of the game, and it showed a bit in the first Test. The key thing we will be working on is consistency.
“Bearing in mind the sort of surface we are playing on, this will be the best way to keep the pressure on the West Indies.
“The pitch looks flat and the boundaries are short, so it is important that we work hard on ways to take 20 wickets. But for me the big thing is consistency.”
Typical Warner Park conditions should make for another high-scoring affair, like the only Test that has been played on the ground four years ago, when West Indies drew with India.
As usual, one eye will be on the weather, considering the series is being contested in the hurricane season, and there was rain in the forecast.
Squads:
West Indies (from): Chris Gayle (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Shane Shillingford
South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis (vice-captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, Abraham de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Paul Harris, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Peterson, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.