Kempton Park: About the last thing the Lanka A players wanted to see when they arrived in South Africa yesterday was a heavy cloud cover and the threat of rain.

After all, a month of being restricted to indoor nets at the Sinhalese Sports Club is far from the ideal preparation for tourists who are hoping to have a lengthy outdoor practice session in Potchefstroom, one-time capital of the old Transvaal Republic, before they start their game against a combined side from North West/Free State and Griqualand West at the North West Oval on Sunday.

Sri Lanka manager Stanley Jayasinghe put a brave face on the arrival but was at least hopeful his charges would get an ``early feel of outdoor conditions after a month of being marooned indoors''.

At least the South Africa A players who toured Sri Lanka last year know the feeling. The first 12 days of that venture was one long indoor net venture. Although parched the North West Province, where the tour opens, has had some light rain; not enough though to hinder any preparation the team’s ever-cheerful coach, Hemantha Devapriya, has in mind.

It is not his first visit to South Africa, but this time he knows he has a tough enough job to develop and blood a team mixed in age as well as experience.

Jayasinghe, who also managed the Sri Lanka A side which toured England in July and August, felt the team now in South Africa had a small advantage over that particular group of tourists as those who showed early form would get a chance to join the senior ranks when Sanath Jayasuriya’s side arrive in Zimbabwe next month.

``This tour presents the right sort of incentive for the players to do well early on and hopefully we will see some good form,'' he said. Test fast-bowler and World Cup squad member Ravindra Pushpakumara, who has toured South Africa before while the vice-captain, Avishka Gunawardene, played, with Pushpakumara against Australia and India in the recent Aiwa Cup limited-overs tournament.

As it is the Sri Lanka selectors have retained the attacking top-order batsman, Navix Nawaz as captain with Gunawardene promoted to vice captain. Others who also toured England are Shantha Kalavitigoda, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Indika de Saram, Nimesh Perera and Pushpakumara. De Saram, also a member of the Sri Lanka Aiwa Cup side is at present in Sharjah and likely to play in Friday’s Coca-Cola Cup final against Pakistan.

``We are not sure when he is to arrive but it should be sometime before the second game of the tour,'' Jayasinghe said.  New faces in the A team this year are Sajith Fernando, a batsman, who led Sri Lanka A against South Africa A last July and August and Kumar Sangakkara, all-rounder Bathiya Perera, and fast bowlers Ishara Amerasinghe and Prabath Nissanka. Sangakkara is deputy wicketkeeper to Dilshan.

The team:

Navix Nawaz (capt), Avishka Gunawardane, Pradeep Hewage, Shantha Kalavitigoda, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Indika de Saram, Sajith Fernando, Nimesh Perera, Bathiya Perera, Tilan Samaraweera , Niroshan Bandaratilake, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sajeeva de Silva, Ishara Amarasinghe, Prabath Nissanka, KumarSangakkara.

The itinerary:

Oct 24-26: Combined NW/GW/Free State, Potchefstroom
Oct 29-31 v Gauteng/Northerns Wanderers
November 5-7: EP/Border XI, Port Elizabeth
Nov 11-14 v South Africa A, Centurion
Nov 18-21 v South Africa A, Pietermaritzburg
Nov 24 v SA A Chatsworth Nov 26 v SA A Paarl
Nov 28, SA A, Cape Town.