Windies face South Africa in first Test since contract debacle

Jermaine Lannaman, STAR Writer

West Indies will make a return to the international cricket arena when they play South Africa in the first of a three-match Test series at Centurion today.

The match-up, set to bowl off at 3:30 a.m. Jamaica time, will see the regional side looking to put aside their debacle during their recent tour of India, which saw them leaving due to contract-related issues in October.

The Caribbean team are eighth in the 10-team world rankings.

The West Indies, who will be led by Denesh Ramdin, will be seeking to overturn their dismal record against the South Africans, who, since their return to international cricket in 1992, have won 16 matches in 25 encounters against the West Indies. The Windies have won only three.

The Caribbean men will look to in-form Marlon Samuels, who slammed a double century in a warm-up match last week, as well as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, to lead the batting charge.

Fast bowlers Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach and Sheldon Cottrell, who claimed five wickets in the warm-up, along with spinner Sulieman Benn, will lead the bowling attack.

The team is without Chris Gayle, who is injured, and Darren Bravo, who is absent due to personal reasons.

In the meantime, the world's number-one ranked Test team, South Africa, will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the ICC rankings.

The hosts, who in the summer changed captaincy from Graeme Smith to Hashim Amla, will be playing their first Test in five months.

Under Amla, who will be in charge at home for the first time, the Proteas defeated Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the summer.

They are set to face the West Indies for the first time without Smith and Jacques Kallis, who both called 'time' on their careers within the past year.

Top batsmen AB de Villiers and Amla are set to lead their batting with vaunted fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander down to lead their bowling attack.

West Indies squad: Denesh Ramdin, Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Dwayne Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton.

South Africa squad: Hashim Amla (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Alviro Petersen, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Stiaan van Zyl, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada.