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Windies going against the odds
12/12/2007 13:10 - (SA)
East London - Chris Gayle's West Indian touring team will attempt to succeed where their predecessors have failed when they take on South Africa over the next seven-and-a-half weeks.
The odds appear to be stacked against the West Indies - but Gayle has the consolation of knowing that he can hardly do worse than previous sides from the Caribbean that have visited South Africa.
In 1998/99 the West Indies lost all five Tests and were beaten 6-1 in a one-day series, despite having stars like captain Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in their side. Five seasons later Lara was again in charge but his team were beaten 3-0 in the Tests, with one drawn, and went down 3-1 in the one-day series.
Gayle promised when his team arrived in South Africa Monday that the hosts would be "in for a fight" despite the West Indies appearing to be weaker than previously.
No successors have yet emerged to emulate Walsh and Ambrose as a new-ball pairing while Lara has retired and fellow batting star Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was named as Lara's successor as captain, is out of the tour with a knee injury.
Without regular captain
Gayle himself will miss the opening matches of the tour - a limited overs match against a Makhaya Ntini Invitation XI in East London Friday and a Twenty20 international in Port Elizabeth Sunday - because of a hamstring injury. He hopes to be fit for the first Test starting in Port Elizabeth on December 26.
South Africa will also be without their regular captain, with Graeme Smith advised to rest because of a virus he apparently contracted on a tour of Pakistan during October.
Smith was withdrawn from the Ntini game - to mark the start of the South African fast bowler's benefit season - and the first Twenty20 international.
Former captain Shaun Pollock, who was replaced by Smith in 2003, will lead the Proteas Sunday. Smith is expected to return for the Test series.
The declining status of the West Indies team is shown by the fact that the current tour includes only three Tests, down from five on the first tour and four in 2003/04.
They will also play in five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals, as well as a four-day warm-up match against South Africa A in East London next week.
Gayle said in a website column after the Zimbabwe tour: "I look forward to us benefiting from the momentum and confidence which the guys have gained with our 3-1 series victory against Zimbabwe."
Gayle said the Zimbabwe victory had been a team effort, although he singled out stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, emerging batsman Runako Morton, veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who picked up two man of the match awards in Zimbabwe.
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