— Photo: K.R. Deepak

GETTING READY: South Africa has been steadily improving as a team in the tournament, but Graeme Smith indicated that the onus was on himself and Jacques Kallis to excel on the big stage.

JAIPUR: The West Indies has grown as a team during the course of this Champions Trophy. So has South Africa. And the two gear up in a contest that promises to be explosive for various reasons.

The semifinal meeting between the two on Thursday is likely to revive memories of some bitter contests they had during the last season. "Sure it would be competitive. We have had mixed relationship (with West Indian players). I suppose the nature of the game will dictate the behaviour," was a candid response by the South African skipper Graeme Smith.

Tough postures on the field had marked the last one-day series between the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean. Eyeball-to-eyeball contact between the bowler and the batsman, and some intimidating glares could well enhance the intensity of cricket at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here.

"That's past," said the West Indies skipper Brian Lara. "There is nothing like bad blood. It is fickle stuff, quite unnecessary," he remarked in reference to the on-field acrimony when it lost 5-0 to South Africa at home in 2005.

Ambience

The ambience at the venue here needs a fillip, with the general interest in the competition having taken a severe beating with the exit of the Indian team. The conspicuous absence of security was just a pointer at how things have changed drastically. "We have to play with passion" was how Lara summed it up.

"We have a team that can dominate," asserted Smith, and the best possible combination that may engage his attention. The pitch in his opinion is "pretty dry and two-paced with inconsistent bounce" and that would obviously necessitate a change at the top — Loots Bosman, an aggressive opener, in place of either Herschelle Gibbs or Boeta Dippenaar.

Without discussing the likely combination for the match, Smith conceded it was "time" for "all of us to deliver", indicating the onus was on himself and veteran Jacques Kallis to excel on the big stage. Kallis has the individual brilliance to change the course of the contest.

Honest submission

Smith made an honest submission. "It has been very hard upfront. All teams have struggled against the new ball and it would be a bonus if we get a good start. The ball might swing, but there won't be sideways movement. We would like to play our normal game and exploit the conditions here."

The slow bowlers could play a role at the SMS Stadium, but Smith can draw motivation from the most lethal pair of this tournament — Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock. The two have carried the team to great heights with the relentless pressure they create at the top, and nothing epitomises their calibre than the humiliation Pollock and Ntini heaped on the Pakistan team at Mohali.

It was to Pollock's credit that he came up with one of the most nagging spell of seam bowling when he buried Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. The ball of the tournament may have been the Glenn McGrath out-swinger to Sachin Tendulkar, but Pollock's was a memorable ten-over show that inspired South Africa to raise its game beyond the opposition.

Exciting talent

The West Indies has some exciting talent, and its smooth progress only underlines the resurgence of the team, a development that world cricket acknowledges is good for the game. "They have many match-winners," conceded Smith.

West Indies's reliance on its collective strength is the motivation that keeps Brian Lara going. The likes of Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor have managed to contribute when the team has wanted, and the thrust that Chris Gayle provides with his aggression is just the force that Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan need in this crucial encounter.

South Africa, noted Lara, may be the favourite. "But we are better prepared this time," he warned. West Indies, having successfully set and chased targets, has indeed sent a strong message to South Africa.

The teams (from):

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Loots Bosman, Robin Peterson and Abraham de Villiers.

West Indies: Brian Lara (capt), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Wavell Hinds, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Smith,

Umpires: Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar; Third umpire: Daryl Harper; Fourth umpire: A.S. Saheba; Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

Hours of play: 2.30 p.m to 6 p.m.; 6.30 p.m. onwards.

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