Tony Becca, Consulting Editor
THE FIRST Test between the West Indies and South Africa is now in progress in Johannesburg and with South Africa posting 561 in their first innings, the West Indies, on 87 for one at the end of the second day, will have to bat well, very well, to prevent the home team from taking a one-nil lead in the four-match series.
For many reasons, South Africa's imposing total is not surprising - not when it is remembered that South Africa are ranked number two behind the powerful Australia, that the West Indies are ranked number eight, ahead of only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and that just a few weeks ago, Zimbabwe, lowly Zimbabwe, scored over 507 for nine declared against the West Indies and gave them a run for their money before losing the two-match series one-nil.
WHAT IS SURPRISING
What is surprising is not that South Africa scored so many runs while batting themselves into an impregnable position. What is surprising is that the West Indies went into the match with an attack of four pace bowlers - and it is surprising for many reasons.
The first reason is that apart from young Fidel Edwards who is a good prospect, not one of the bowlers is above average, looking at the West Indies bowling for five sessions, looking at South Africa's bowling in one session and how the West Indies batsmen had to fight for survival, regardless of the pitch, not one of them is likely to do any serious damage, even if they pick up an early wicket or two, not one of them can follow through - not against a good batting team, and to play four of them must be begging for trouble.
But for Edwards who is fast and aggressive, they are all of a kind, and once a good batsman gets set against them, it is easy pickings.
The second reason is that every other team in the world realises the importance of a balanced attack, appreciates the fact that these days many batsmen are not comfortable to good spin bowling, that a good spin bowler is once again a good weapon, and because of that they all include a spin bowler in their attack.
The third reason, certainly after their performance in Pakistan recently, is that South Africa's batsmen are not the best against good spin bowling, and the fourth reason why going into the match with four pacers was a surprise is that in left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed, the West Indies have a good one, or at least a potentially good one, on call.
What is really interesting, however, is that in selecting Mohammed as replacement for fast bowler Jerome Taylor, Viv Richards, the chairman of the West Indies selection committee, said that he was selected because on second thought the selectors believe that South Africa's batsmen are a bit suspect against spin and that the pitches in South Africa are such that Mohammed would probably do well on them.
Although Richards did not say so, it was as if he was saying that it was a blessing in disguise that one of the fast bowlers had to return home so that the selectors could correct a mistake and strengthen the attack with the inclusion of a spin bowler - a left-arm wrist spinner.
The fact that Mohammed was not selected should really not be surprising, however - not when it is remembered that in 2001 when South Africa were in the Caribbean, the selectors, based on the same argument that their batsmen were suspect to left-arm spin bowling, selected Mohammed in the West Indies squad and never played him in even one match.
Is it that Mohammed was not considered because he arrived in South Africa only a day or two before the start of the Test match?
Maybe that was it.
JET LAG
Although Mohammed was in the field for most of the first day of the Test match while substituting for the injured Chris Gayle, maybe the selectors felt that he was suffering from jet lag and would not be at his best - either that or they believed he had no experience of bowling in South Africa and did not want to throw him into the match without such experience.
Whatever the reason, Mohammed should have been in the West Indies team - jet lag or no jet lag, experience or no experience.
As a newcomer, it probably would not have mattered. The fact, however, is that the West Indies should not have gone into a Test match with four pace bowlers. They do not have the quality fast bowlers to do so, and on top of that, the selection of Mohammed would not have been selecting a spin bowler simply to have a spin bowler in the team.
Mohammed is a tricky spin bowler, because of his skills, there is always hope that something can happen, there are not four fast bowlers in the region better than him, and someone like him should not be sitting in the pavilion and watching a West Indies attack of Edwards, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes and Corey Collymore.
