'New ball might be the best time to bat' - Smith

Australia captain Steven Smith has singled out a good opening partnership as the key to success in the Caribbean ahead of their tri-series opener against West Indies on Sunday.

Unlike the faster pitches at home, the surfaces in the Caribbean are expected to become slower as the innings progresses, and how Australia handle the new ball could determine how they fare in the tournament. The Providence Stadium in Guyana stayed true to reputation during West Indies' four-wicket triumph over South Africa on Friday, with both sides finding run-scoring difficult.

"My thoughts before yesterday's game was that it wasn't going to be a high-scoring game," Smith said on the eve of the match. "It's about being smart, particularly through the middle overs against the spinners, making sure we're able to rotate the strike, and if we get a bad ball, put it away. Whereas in Australia, the bounce is consistent, the ball doesn't spin a great deal, so you can hit through the line and take the game on a little bit more.

"I don't think you need to tell Davey Warner or Aaron Finch how to play too much. I think that's just their natural instinct, to play their shots, which hopefully will get us into a good position. It looks as though it might be one of those wickets where the new ball is the easiest time to bat and then the wicket slows down, making it harder to score. If we try and make the most of those first six to ten overs, hopefully we can hold ourselves in good stead for the rest of the innings."

Smith's observations were along the lines of how South Africa's innings panned out. They made a solid start after choosing to bat and were 52 for 1 in the 10th over. By the time AB de Villiers fell in the 31st, they were scoring at less than 4.5 runs an over. Sunil Narine, on international comeback, then wrecked the middle order to finish with career-best figures of 6 for 27 as South Africa lost eight wickets for 58 runs.

"I think it's about each individual batter having a plan against him," Smith said about facing Narine. "Obviously, he's a quality bowler with a different set of skills than we're used to seeing. I think most of our guys have seen him play in the IPL or for the West Indies and know what he brings to the table. It's just about going out and executing our skills against him."

As for Australia, Adam Zampa will likely have a big role to play, although with Glenn Maxwell's offbreaks and the presence of a senior spinner in Nathan Lyon, a final call will only be taken after pitch inspection on match day. Smith had words of praise for the young legspinner.

"He has a lot of confidence. I think he's come a long way in the last couple of years. He's confident in his skill set and what he brings to the table," Smith said. "He knows what he's trying to do, reads the batsman very well, and I think his control has improved a lot as well.

"I was really impressed with how he bowled in New Zealand in the one-dayers, and throughout the T20 World Cup and the IPL in India. He's come on a long way, and hopefully can continue to improve and get better as well."

Lyon felt it was the confidence in his ability and the knowledge of what he's trying to do that has elevated Zampa to the next level. "I'm not sure if I'm the senior spinner. We (he and Zampa) are really good mates, that helps," Lyon said. "I've known him for a fair few years now, he's developing into a great spinner. It's been a privilege to work with him in the nets, and hopefully, if we get the chance to play together, we can win a couple of games for Australia.

"I think he's backed himself. He understands where his game is at the moment. He trusts his spinning ability. It's exciting to see an upcoming legspinner, especially in the one-day format."

Maxwell has spoken in the past of the difficulty of him and Lyon playing in the same Test XI as both spin the ball the same way. But this tri-series could well see the two of them playing together and Lyon didn't believe it was impossible. "Maxi bats in the top-five, doesn't he? He's a batter who can bowl offspin pretty well, so there's definitely room for two spinners, especially given Maxi's skill with the bat. So I don't see a problem playing with Maxi."

A regular feature of the Test team, Lyon has made only sporadic appearances in the shorter format - he has played 10 ODIs and one T20I - and he felt every opportunity would be a chance to make the spot his own. Having made two trips to the country also helped his case as he has knowledge of the conditions. "It (the Providence pitch) looks like a typical Caribbean wicket. I've been fortunate enough to be over here a couple of times now, so hopefully understand the wicket here. But it looks like it's going to be a tough one-day series. Every bowler is going to be a threat, it's just about bowling in partnerships and attacking and defending at the right time."

Lyon also dismissed notions that bowling in the shorter format may affect his performance in Test cricket. "It's definitely not going to damage my bowling. I'm confident in my skills to get the job done in any format. It's just about being able to adapt - the best players in the world adapt - and that's one of my goals."