My first look at the 16 selected to prepare for the South African tour made a great smile come to my face. There was a good reason for this. Of the sixteen, I had selected (article of February 18), all of the players named for the final squad except Leon Garrick, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Reon King, Cameron Cuffy and Colin Stuart.

Chanderpaul, King and Cuffy were injured when I wrote that article two weeks ago, which I did note, so really, I was only two short of perfection; Stuart and Garrick. Not bad! Indeed, I believe that Chanderpaul, King and Cuffy will still have to prove their full fitness in the game against Jamaica this weekend, the Busta International Shield final, before they go forward to the Test team. While Cuffy has not bowled a ball in anger since coming back from Australia, at least King had a good run against England A, taking 7-91 in the second innings, but more importantly, bowling 21 overs. Chanderpaul looked much more mobile in the second innings of that game than the first and if he is fit, he will play in the Test.

Leon Garrick is another story. He has played so well this year that he must be a very strong contender for one of the opening spots. It is so pleasing to see so many young men vying for positions; Garrick, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Dinanath Ramnarine and Mahendra Nagamootoo, in the "senior" squad. At least, the selectors showed some belly by "dropping" both Jimmy Adams and Sherwin Campbell, even though both will be involved in games this weekend too.

The West Indies could go into a Test match with two right-arm leg-spinners, Ramnarine and Nagamootoo, an almost unique occurrence in the Caribbean. Ramnarine has the best aggregate of wickets, 48, in the Busta Cup, while Nagamootoo is the incumbent, having played in the last Test in Australia, batting especially well while bowling adequately. He also did well, bowling against England A last week. Having seen the Bourda Oval pitch over the last two weeks, for the Windward Island and England A games against Guyana, I do not think that those two spinners will be misplaced, especially bearing in mind that Carl Hooper and Marlon Samuels will provide the off-spin.

My only surprise was Colin Stuart, and not Corey Collymore. I thought that Collymore had done enough for a recall, but again, Stuart did not do too badly in Australia, and he is so enthusiastic and eager to learn that he could become very much better soon. I also had Kerry Jeremy in my squad. At least he gets a chance to play against the South Africans for the Busta Cup XI.

Of course, with the omission of Adams, the race for the captaincy became almost a one-man affair, since Carl Hooper, has runs like rain, wickets by the dozens and had almost total success this year (Guyana only lost one game, on first innings, to England A in Grenada in the Busta Cup). In the original list, only Brian Lara, Ridley Jacobs and Carl Hooper were experienced and capable enough to hold the position. Lara has categorically said he does not want it, while Jacobs, as the wicket-keeper/batsman, already has plenty to do. Hooper, the leading Busta Cup batsman with his 889 runs so far, to go with his 29 wickets, plus leading Guyana to the final, was the only reasonable choice.

That game in Jamaica will be a trial game for most of the players selected in the original 16, since eleven of the sixteen will be playing in that final. So, only Brian Lara, Ridley Jacobs, Dinanath Ramnarine, Nixon McLean and Cameron Cuffy will actually go to the pre-Test camp. What about bonding, psychological, physical and emotional workings, especially the former, which Australia's captain Steve Waugh actually suggested were very much lacking in the West Indies team touring Australia last year?

West Indies pace trio - Walsh, McLean and King Photo CricInfo

On a quick reading, if everyone in the original 16 is fit, the West Indies batting line up could be excellent, with Hooper, Lara and Chanderpaul being augmented by Hinds, Samuels and either Sarwan, Garrick or Gayle, as the six batsmen. Jacobs will be the 'keeper, but the bowling is worrisome. If King passes the test in Jamaica, he could start with McLean, and since we must assume that Courtney Walsh will play, trying to get his 493 Test wickets to 500, perhaps that initial thought of two leg-spinners is fading fast. It could still be a possibility, though, if either of the pace-men does not come through this weekend.

Another of my selections last week, Ryan Hinds, I see, has been selected for the Busta Cup XI against South Africa, as has a recovering Merve Dillon. Dillon could also cause headaches if he comes through the South Africa preparation game with flying colours.

Somehow, though, the West Indies Cricket Board have scheduled the final of the Busta International Shield, in itself a wonderful competition in 2001, on the same weekend that South Africa is to play against a Busta Cup XI. There must be a conflict of objectives and timing there. I would have thought that an appearance in the Busta Cup XI, against the tourists, would have been just reward for a good regional season. Instead, many will still be playing that final.

Then, as if to compound the situation, the WICB selectors initially named a squad of 16 players to a camp to plan strategy for at least the first Test against South Africa. Neither Jimmy Adams nor Sherwin Campbell, the captain and vice-captain of the team on the recent ill-fated tour of Australia, were included. It was even stated by the WICB that a "new" West Indies captain would soon be selected.

24 hours later, the WICB confirmed that Adams was indeed being considered to retain the post, even though his name was not among those to the camp, and even though Hooper was soon confirmed as the new captain. In the meantime, players in the two games already mentioned, for the first weekend of March, are included in the list to the camp. Therefore, only five players will actually go to the camp initially, since the others will be playing in one of the two games previously mentioned. Very confusing indeed.

Let us all hope that it is all cleared up by March 9th, the start of the five-Test series featuring South Africa and the West Indies. The South Africans have much to prove now, and are nearly as ready as Australia, some say just as ready, to blow the West Indies away. All must, however, remember that in the last 25 years, the West Indies have only lost one series, against Australia in 1995, at home. This too will be another tough series, for both teams. I even believe that if the West Indies bat well, they could win, but it will not be easy!

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