Testing time for old test caps and hopefuls

After all, playing a Griqualand West side short of two top components in Kepler Wessels and Ottis Gibson blunts the opposition in one of the two four-day games the tourists play to shape their strategy and form for the first test, starting at the Wanderers on November 26.

What interests Lara more is the form of two fast bowlers and an all-rounder in the latest round of SuperSport Series matches: Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis. He could have also added the names of Adam Bacher and Andrew Hudson to that list.

Donald turns out for Free State in the A Section game against Western Province in Bloemfontein today while Pollock is up at the Wanderers in what should be a preview of pitch conditions which have been criticised for its sluggish pace and low bounce.

With Lance Klusener still struggling with niggling injuries and rested for the KwaZulu/Natal match against Gauteng, Pollock's burden has been increased for this game and in what is his first serious outing of the domestic season. The red-headed all-rounder is says Graham Ford, Natal=92s convener of selectors, in particularly good nick, and he felt the lanky fast bowler would create a few extra problems for the Gauteng batsmen.

Hudson, so often written off in the last two seasons, has an inherent ability to play pace well and handle pressure situations; his century for Natal against Griquas in an A Section game which ended in a draw on Monday, has been one of numerous examples and almost led the Dolphins to an unexpected victory at Kingsmead.

It also came at a time when Peter Pollock's national selection panel members must still have serious doubts about who among South Africa's opening batsmen have the ability to handle the West Indies pace barrage.

Bacher may be the favourite of some critics while Gerry Liebenberg has also been put forward as a candidate. Whether this has more to do with Hansie Cronje Free State links than Liebenberg's ability to handle pace bowling over a sustained period is another matter. The view Hudson has found his niche in the Natal side as a middle-order batsman is a circumspect one as he still has all the technique and skills of an opener and often bats like one.

There are those who are as criticial of Kallis as they are of Hudson: much of this ignores the young man=BBs qualities and his combined skills as a top-order batsman and first-change bowler. All-rounders of his class are rare and his form is as important to the South African side as is that of Pollock's.

Lara admitted on Wednesday that the batting practice at Soweto Oval had been a little disjointed rather than rusty and rain robbed the side of what chance they had to give the bowlers a run.

It was also interesting how the Windies switch around the line up from the original selection: Shavnarine Chanderpaul for Dinanth Ramnarine was one. As Chanderpaul is likely to play a bigger role in the series this summer than is Ramnarine this particular statistic is scarcely a comforting one for South Africa as the little left-hander seemed at ease.

Chanderpaul was barely 19 when making his test debut for the West Indies and much is expected of the 24-year old as a middle-order batsman, especially with Jimmy Adams, nursing a cut finger, and soon on his way back to Kingston, Jamaica.

No doubt the Windies will use the tour opener to give their bowlers an extended run and the second string of Mervyn Dillon and Nixon McLean might not find Kimberley as welcoming as they would like.