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After four months on their ``Afrian Safari'', the West Indies cricketers returned yesterday. But the team's top officials are not talking - at least not yet.

Coach Malcolm Marshall was among an 11-member party which arrived shortly before 3 p.m. on a British Airways flight from South Africa via London and chose not to speak.

He informed reporters at the Grantley Adams International Airport that he, manager Clive Lloyd and captain Brian Lara had a very important meeting with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in Antigua tomorrow, and he could not say anything as yet.

The West Indies were pounded by South Africa during the series, losing 5-0 in the Tests and 6-1 in the One-Day matches in their first official Test visit to the continent.

On arrival, the players were first met on the tarmac by Barbados captain Roland Holder, and David Holford, the chief executive officer of the West Indies Players' Association. They later were joined by officials from the Barbados Cricket Association, including Joel Garner, who is also a West Indies selector.

Others arriving with the coach were fellow Barbadians Philo Wallace and Floyd Reifer; Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Keith Semple, Neil McGarrell and Reon King of Guyana; Grenadians Junior Murray and Rawl Lewis; young Trinidadian Daren Ganga; and Vincentian Nixon McLean.

Photographer Gordon Brooks, who covered the entire tour on behalf of THE NATION, also came home on the flight.

One person smiling and expressing delight to be back was opener Philo Wallace, who had a miserable time after contracting glandular fever early in the tour.

A jovial, fit-looking Wallace said he was looking forward to turning out for Barbados against Jamaica in the Busta Cup on Friday to recapture his form.

``It feels good to be back home, really good,'' he said. ``Glandular fever knocked me off my feet. I would never like it again or like anyone to have it. I thought I had fully recovered, but I didn't.

``But I don't want to blame glandular fever. It was a learning experience for me. I learnt, and I learnt the hard way.''