Streetwise Wessels may have too many answers (30 March 1999)

30 March 1999

Streetwise Wessels may have too many answers

Trevor Chesterfield

Kepler Wessels, a real chip off the off the old slab of granite, may have creaking knees and battle to run short singles with the more athletic members of the side, but Griqualand West are expecting another miracle from the former South African captain at Buffalo Park in East London today.

Along with another grizzled veteran, Pat Symcox, who may not be quite on his last legs, Wessels should be just a little too street-wise for Border in the Standard Bank Cup final tonight.

A week ago Griquas, having provided one miracle in the knockout series to reach a final decided celebrations should be put on hold and the champagne remain in the fridge until tonight. Early celebrations are not Wessels' style of hands on team management.

"Let us not forget how we got here," said the man who bows out of the game not so much with a bounding step up the pavilion steps but a limp and a wry grin that his career is over. He has managed to at least get Griquas into a final this season through the hard way and a much tougher quarter-final and semi-final route than Border.

The Wessels shuffle, not as spritely as it was on a February night seven years ago when he led South Africa on to the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground; and his crabbed strokeplay was known around most grounds of the world long before most of his teammates had their first batting lessons.

"Yes, it would be nice to win a trophy," he agreed. "It is a special way to go. But we have to get there first and the pitch conditions at Buffalo Park are a lot different to those in Kimberley."

Both sides have settled on the same squads which managed to see them into the final, which is not at all surprising and Border have the advantage of home conditions and a bowling attacked about as fine-tuned to the conditions which makes up for what they lack in other areas.

Vasbert Drakes, Makhaya Ntini and Tyron Henderson have done more to help Border get where they are this season, only their batting has folded under pressure and Wessels, with Symcox, have exerted all the right pressures in the right areas in the wins over Western Province and Gauteng.

Griqualand West (from): Kepler Wessels (capt), Mickey Arthur, Martyn Gidley, Willie Dry, Finley Brooker, Loots Bosman, Ottis Gibson, Pat Symcox, Andre Botha, Wendell Bossenger, Deon Kruis, Garth Roe.

Border (from): Piet Botha, Brad White, Wayne Wiblin, Piet Strydom, Craig Sugden, Vasbert Drakes, Ian Mitchell, Steve Pope, Geoff Love, Deon Taljard, Tyron Henderson, Makhaya Ntini Peter Emslie.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News