Fitness and form two key issues

Fitness and form are two key issues surrounding the South African A side when they meet Sri Lanka A in the first of two four-day games in Centurion starting tomorrow.

And the way Corrie van Zyl, one of the two coaches, saw it the game is as ``an ideal opportunity for those selected to step up to that extra level and display their potential''.

The former Free State all-rounder and now director of coaching in that province said the players, who were forced to train indoor yesterday afternoon, had been rewarded for their performances in the SuperSport Series games this season.

``It will give them a chance to also show the South African selectors that there is the young talent which can step into places in the future,'' he said.

At this stage there has been no indication of what sort of batting line up the South African A selectors will consider but Mark Bruyns and Doug Watson are likely to fill the opening berths while Neil McKenzie could find that the role of three, where he has slipped into the Northerns order, is where he should bat with Ashwell Prince at four and the skipper Dale Benkenstein at five.

Vincent Barnes, the Western Province coach who with Van Zyl, is the joint coach of the side, felt the form of the players was a good sign that the team was well-prepared for the first of the two games.

Sri Lanka A also trained at Centurion yesterday with a long fielding session before a two-hour net session. At this stage there is some uncertainty about who will open the innings after Avishka Gunawardena was forced to return home at the weekend with a groin injury. His replacement is Upeka Fernando.