The first Test between the West Indies and the Proteas will begin on Wednesday afternoon in Trinidad & Tobago, and the South Africans are feeling well-prepared and ready. The West Indies are fresh off their 3-0 Test series defeat to the Three Lions in England, however, they put in some really good performances with the bat. By the same token, the Proteas have played very little red-ball cricket this year, and they played to a draw against the West Indies Championship XI last week in Tarouba.
The coach, Shukri Conrad, said he is satisfied with the prep going into the first Test, especially on the batting front.
‘We certainly got everything that we wanted out of it’
“The bulk of the batters got to get in and also spend some time in the middle, so it was a really good exercise,” said Conrad.
“As to whether we got answers to the questions – I don’t think there were too many questions to start with, but we certainly got everything that we wanted out of it.
“It was really good to see the guys playing with the intensity that we would associate with a normal Test match, especially on that last morning where we had a really good final session.
“So, all-in-all, really happy.”
Conrad once again indicated that he plans to use the young and explosive batter Tristan Stubbs at number three in the batting line-up, despite the 23-year-old scoring just 8-runs in Tarouba.
“Tristan is going to be backed – he’s going to be given a good run in that position,” Conrad added.
“His psyche, his technique speaks to someone who will do that job really well, and I’m going to give him a good run. And whether that is for the whole of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle remains to be seen.
“I’d be surprised if we didn’t back him throughout the rest of the cycle. I’m very confident that Tristain is going to come good, whether it’s in the first Test match or the second, but I think we’ve got a good one for the future of South African cricket,” said the Proteas Test coach.
“He’s quite an imposing character, a big, strong, strapping boy, and I quite like that. There are quite imposing guys – guys that have got a good aura about them and strong body language.”
Taking Advantage of the Home Crowd
The Proteas aim to use the potential hostility of the home crowd to their advantage when they challenge the West Indies in the first Test in Trinidad and Tobago starting on Wednesday, seamer Lungi Ngidi said.
Ngidi was speaking from the Brian Lara Stadium where South Africa and a Windies Championship XI played to a draw in an unofficial four-day encounter.
He said their opponents at the weekend were a tough nut to crack and he expected a similar fight from the senior side in their opening encounter at Queen's Park Oval.
“It is exactly what I was expecting, [there were] no surprises, they're a good team.
“It is always competitive, especially if teams are playing at home, they have the crowd behind them, but we are here to compete — they will put their best foot forward and so will we,” Ngidi said after the match.
The right-arm seamer took three of the four wickets to fall in the second innings as a stalemate was reached by lunchtime on the final day on Saturday.
Wickets in the first innings were spread across the bowling attack, with Kagiso Rabada taking 3/47, while spinners Dane Piedt and Keshav Maharaj took 3/41 and 2/82 respectively as Dane Paterson and Migael Pretorius chipped in with one apiece to restrict the home side to 397 all out.
After the Proteas posted 408/9 with a lead of 11, Ngidi and Piedt struck early in the second innings to have the Windies on 32/4 before reaching the lunch break on 46/4 when the decision was taken to share honours.
Ngidi said executing their plans under pressure and adapting to different match situations from Wednesday would be vital in getting the upper hand over their hosts.
“Any conditions you come across [will require] that you find a way.
“We didn't know what to expect. It turned out on the slower side so we had to adapt our plans to what we had in front of us. We did pretty well and it is something we will look to do in the first Test as well,” he said.
Having assessed conditions, Ngidi said the main objective was to find some rhythm in the first innings, which he then tried to work into the game plan he had for himself going into the second innings.
“I was told I would take the new ball, which changed things around in the team for us to adapt to bowling at different stages in the innings.
“The ball seemed to be doing a bit more for me than in the first innings, so I tried to capitalise on that and use the conditions as best I could.
“In Test cricket, the ball is going to swing, so you learn from a young age how to try to control it, it's about finding an area on the wicket to hit if it is swinging, and if not, then finding a different area to hit,” he said.
Adapting to Conditions and a Tough Opponent
Ngidi's comments highlight the challenges facing the Proteas in this series. The West Indies, despite their recent Test series defeat to England, are a formidable opponent on home soil. The Proteas will need to adapt quickly to the conditions and execute their plans effectively if they want to achieve success.
The first Test is set to be a closely fought contest, with both teams possessing the talent and determination to win. The Proteas will be looking to build on their recent success, while the West Indies will be aiming to bounce back from their disappointing series in England.
This Test series promises to be an exciting and unpredictable affair, with the potential for some thrilling cricket. Cricket fans around the world will be eagerly watching to see who comes out on top.
