South Africa coach Mickey Arthur (left) and West Indies skipper Brian Lara addresses the media at a press conference yesterday at the Queen's Park Stadium in Grenada. Both teams will clash in a vital Super Eight match today. - Dellmar photos
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
The West Indies resume their hunt for the World Cup cricket title when they take on South Africa in Grenada today and for the home team, for the two-time champions, for the once mighty Windies and probably also for their opponents, all their dreams and all their aspirations rest on the outcome of what promises to be a bruising encounter.
It promises to be a dogfight not only because the West Indies have one foot in the grave, but also because South Africa, on four points from three matches after losing to Bangladesh on Saturday, and with New Zealand and England to play after this, could be in serious trouble if they lose again today.
Nine years ago, the West Indies started dreaming of becoming the first home team to win the World Cup and five years later, four years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chris Dehring, managing director and chief executive officer of ICC CWC West Indies 2007, promised the world the best World Cup ever.
With the two things going hand in hand - certainly as far as the home fans are concerned, with winning the Cup important to the tournament being the best ever - and definitely so following the number of absent fans and all the complaints going the rounds, as far as the West Indies and West Indians are concerned, today is the day.
Day of reckoning
In other words, today is D-Day, today is the day of reckoning, and today is the day when the West Indies must win or start packing their bags.
After a glorious start during which they knocked over Pakistan on the way to topping their group with a perfect three from three, the West Indies, in falling before Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, have lost their first three matches in the Super Eight round, they have only two points - courtesy of their first round performance, they are tied for sixth place with Bangladesh with three matches to go, they are one from the bottom and with only four teams moving on to the semi-finals, they are in desperate straits.
In other words, time is running out, and victory today, by the hook or by the crook, is a must.
It is do or die, and it as simple as that.
The question is this: Can the West Indies do it?
A few days ago, not many would be willing to bet a dollar on the West Indies.
Following Saturday's ambush of South Africa by Bangladesh, however it is still highly improbable, it can no longer be considered beyond the West Indies much more to be impossible.
Based on the West Indies performance in the recent and not so recent past, however, based on their performance in this round of the tournament it is not impossible Bangladesh have softened up South Africa, the odds are against them - and they are for the following reasons.
In 39 meetings in one-day cricket around the world, South Africa have won 26 to the West Indies 12; in 15 matches in the West Indies, in the home team's own backyard, South Africa have won 10, including a 5-0 whitewash in 2005, to the West Indies' five; and apart from the fact that South Africa are ranked number two, down from number one, and the West Indies number eight, in Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, Pollock and Kallis again, South Africa boast two players, at number five and at number seven, two players, at number one and at number seven, and two players, at number one and at number five, respectively, in the batting, bowling and all-rounders capacity in the ICC one-day rankings.
In comparison to that the West Indies are represented in the top 10 only by Ian Bradshaw at number 10 on the bowling list and by Gayle at number four on the all-rounders list.
On topof that and despite what happened in Guyana, apart from Smith and Kallis, in Abraham Benjamin DeVilliers, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, all-rounders Justin Kemp and Pollock, along with wicketkeeper/batsman Mark Boucher, South Africa parade a solid if not exciting batting line-up.
In Ntini and Pollock, Andre Nel and Charl Langeveldt, Andrew Hall and Kemp, they possess a squad of good seam bowlers and in Robin Peterson they possess a genuine left-arm spin bowler.
The South Africans, still fourth in the standings after winning their first two matches in the Super Eights and led by Gibbs and Prince, are also numbered among the best fielding teams in the tournament.
Although most things seem to be still in South Africa's favour, including the fact that their opponents could be punch drunk after losing all three previous matches in the round by 103 runs, by seven wickets with 64 deliveries remaining, and by 113 runs, the West Indies cannot be written off.
That has nothing to do with the fact that the Windies have won two out of the three World Cup contests between the two teams, including the last one in 2003, that by winning the ICC Champions Trophy encounter in India, they may hold a psychological advantage and that South Africa's shocking defeat to Bangladesh must have motivated them.
It has to do with the potential of a batting line-up that includes Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, captain Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, and Dwayne Smith - a line-up that it has so far failed to fire, can be dangerous if and when it does fire.
Hopefully the West Indies will go in with at least three specialist bowlers, with a spirit of togetherness and with a driving desire to win.
If they do, if two or three of their batsmen really get going, if their bowlers can match their opening day performance and if they are brilliant in the field as they were against Pakistan, they can pull it off, stay in the race and who to tell, go all the way.
As Lara, the self-confessed eternal optimist saida few days ago, "we've got to pick up and fight because you never know what can happen."
Gibbs doubtful due to calf injury
South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs. - Reuters
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (Reuters):
South Africa may have to go into their World Cup Super Eight clash against West Indies today without injured batsman Herschelle Gibbs.
Gibbs strained his left calf muscle while fielding in South Africa's 67-run defeat by Bangladesh on Saturday. He batted with a runner and top-scored with an unbeaten 56.
Gibbs did not bat during a training session in St. George's, Grenada, yesterday and coach Mickey Arthur said South Africa would delay a decision on his involvement until the last minute.
"We're leaving it until later for Herschelle, he's probably no more than 50-50 at the moment," Arthur told a news conference.
"If the risk was on the positive side, if he had a 60-40 chance of playing, I'm sure we would look to give him a go.
"But he's got to get through 50 overs in the field and he's got to run between the wickets.
"At this stage it's looking like a fair risk to take but let's see what our physio can do with his magic hands this afternoon and we'll go from there.
"We've covered all options in terms of selection but we're going to give Herschelle the opportunity until right before the start of play to prove his fitness to us."
If Gibbs is ruled out, Arthur said opener AB de Villiers would probably move down the order to number four.
Loots Bosman is expected to step into the side as Gibbs's replacement.
