Wanderers pitch 'a belter', says Smith

Graeme Smith hasn't played many matches at the Wanderers, but he knows a decent "Bullring" pitch when he sees one. And he thinks he saw a marvel in the making on Thursday on the eve of the first Test against West Indies at Johannesburg (starts Friday, 0830 GMT).

"It looks a fantastic pitch. It's the best Wanderers pitch I've seen in first-class or Test cricket," said Smith to muffled laughter from the gathered gaggle of journalists, who had already worked out that the 22-year-old Smith had played only one previous Test there. Indeed, Smith still had a year to go at school when West Indies last toured South Africa, in 1998-99, when they lost 5-0.

The Wanderers' reputation as a paceman's paradise is fading, and there is every chance of South Africa including left-arm spinner Robin Peterson in their XI. For their part West Indies would surely have picked their offspinner Omari Banks, but he has been sent home with a stress fracture of the spine. The alternative is Dave Mohammed, the left-arm wrist-spinner, but he has only just unpacked his bags after replacing the injured fast bowler Jerome Taylor, and his inclusion would be a desperate gamble. West Indies are more likely to depend on Chris Gayle's part-time offspin, which served them well in Zimbabwe.

The spin debate poses the most intriguing questions of the make-up of two otherwise settled sides, West Indies' injury problems notwithstanding. Most South African supporters will be more interested in how Smith handles his first home Test in charge - his 10th overall - than the composition of the team he leads.

Smith has led South Africa in nine Tests since succeeding Shaun Pollock, who was sacked after the World Cup, and he says he is coming to terms with the many facets of Test captaincy. Asked if he was feeling the pressure applied by an expectant public, he replied: "I'm not sure about pressure, but it's a lot more hectic. I heard the guys talking about going to the movies this afternoon. I've got selection meetings, match referee meetings, sponsorship commitments, and plenty of interviews. But I always knew that was part of the captain's territory, and I'm coping fine."

Smith was 21 when he was appointed as South Africa's youngest Test captain, and he leads a team that overall favours youth over experience. "We played touch rugby this morning," said Smith, "and we had to divide ourselves into under-28s and over-28s ... and there still weren't enough over-28s!"

The average age gap has been widened further by the withdrawal from this game of Gary Kirsten, who at 36 is the oldest man in the squad, as well South Africa's most capped player and their most prolific runscorer. But Kirsten is missing this game to be at his wife's side when she gives birth to their first child.

"He's a great player who will be sorely missed," said Smith, "but senior pros Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock are the best allrounders in the world and they are fantastic men to turn to for advice. I asked Jacques to come up with 15 to 20 key points about the 1998-99 and 2000 series [against West Indies] and to address us on them at the team meeting on Thursday night."

Meanwhile the West Indian captain Brian Lara managed a joke about his team's parlous injury situation, which has seen batsman Marlon Samuels sent home as well as Banks and Taylor. "We're all fit and well," said Lara, "... well, those of us who are here."

Lara, who has played in every one of West Indies' previous 11 Tests against South Africa, went on: "It has been something of a disrupted preparation, but over the years the strength of West Indies cricket has been the depth of our reserves, and I've noticed that start to come back in recent years."

Nonetheless Lara himself will be the linchpin in the West Indian batting line-up, although he tried to deflect the limelight. "We're including everyone in all the decision-making processes," he said. "Me and Ridley Jacobs are the old men of the squad now, so everyone is being involved. This team is a better team than the team of '98, despite the retirements of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, and there is no doubt we're better prepared. We spent a month playing international cricket before this tour, not a week sitting in a hotel room in London."

That was a reference to the pay dispute that threatened to derail the 1998-99 tour before it had even started. That proved a bad omen for the series that ended with the Windies whitewashed for the first time.

Five years on their is more harmony in the West Indian camp, but South Africa remain favourites.

South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kalllis, 5 Neil McKenzie, 6 Martin van Jaarsveld, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Andrew Hall, 10 Robin Peterson, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Daren Ganga, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Wavell Hinds, 7 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 8 Vasbert Drakes, 9 Merv Dillon, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Corey Collymore.