Three more for South Africa - WI make squad 19 (13 May 1998)

Wednesday, May 13, 1998

Three more for South Africa - WI make squad 19

By GARTH WATTLEY

WHEN he begins his most difficult Test series mission down in South Africa in November, West Indies captain Brian Lara will at least have the reassurance of some positive reinforcements.

For according to the West Indies Cricket Board, the squad of players for this tour of tours will be as many as 19.

During the recent Test and One-day series against England, the Windies used as many as 24 players in the 11 matches, five of them solely in the One-dayers.

On the three-and-a-half month tour of South Africa, the visitors will play five Tests and seven limited overs Internationals.

And WICB Chief Executive Officer Stephen Camacho told the Expresson Monday that the Board has sought an increase in the 16-man squad originally expected to make the trip.

"We have specified amounts for each tour," Camacho explained. "The home team pays for fees and accommodation. But the United Cricket Board of South Africa has agreed to pay for three extra players."

However, just how the extra players will be utilised is still to be determined.

"We haven't decided whether we will keep 19," he said, "or replace three (of an original sixteen)."

Whatever the make-up of the team the series against Hansie Cronje's men who are ranked second in the world, will, Camacho admits, be both challenging and historic.

"Every tour is important but South Africa because of the historical context, has an extra significance," he said.

It will be the first time that the West Indies and South Africa have played a full Test series and the first time that an official West Indies team will be visiting South Africa for a Test rubber.

But Camacho saw a challenge in more than just the cricket. "Historically speaking," he said, "football has been the game of black South Africa. But we are hopeful our visit will be able to stir up enthusiasm for cricket."

However, the cricketing implications of the tour, and the spin-off effects, were also not lost on the WICB's CEO.

The 3-1 Test win over England was a needed boost for the new captain Lara after the disappointing tour of Pakistan in 1997 when Courtney Walsh's team was whitewashed.

And while saying that "Brian (Lara) has made a great start as captain," and that "he is moulding a team around him," Camacho was cautious about the team's South African prospects.

"It is an important tour for us. We've done very well against England. But it is going to be a very competitive series. South Africa at home will be a very, very difficult nut to crack. We will have to be at our very best."

Victory will not only be good for the cricketing future of the team but also for its commercial well-being. But Camacho was reluctant to attach too much significance to the outcome of the series, saying simply that "success always breeds success. It is always important to win."

However, the WICB could use a financial boost. He noted that setbacks like last January's abandoned First Test in Jamaica-"probably one of the worst things to happen to West Indies cricket (...) has not done anything for our coffers".

And he revealed that the Board is still searching for a sponsor for next year's regional first-class competition.

"We are actively working on it at the moment," he said. He is hoping however, that the groundwork that the Board is seeking to lay through a series of soon-to-be-launched projects will indirectly spark a turnaround.

"From a Board point of view, we are doing a lot of work which will bear fruit in the long term," he ended.

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)