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| December 25, 2003 | Thursday | Ziqa’ad 1, 1424 |
Injury scare for Lara ahead of Durban Test
DURBAN, Dec 24: West Indies captain Brian Lara was injured in training on Wednesday as batsman Chris Gayle and fast bowler Corey Collymore were ruled out of the second Test against South Africa starting on Friday.
Lara, who will become the sixth West Indian to play 100 Tests, was hit on the left forearm while batting during team practice at Kingsmead. Although a precautionary x-ray showed bruising, there was no serious damage.
Opening batsman Gayle and Collymore were sidelined with hamstring injuries sustained in earlier matches.
“Lara went for a precautionary x-ray, which just showed bruising,” West Indies coach Gus Logie told reporters. “It’s Brian’s 100th Test match, and we want to make it as special as we can — both for him and for the team.”
The absence of Gayle could open the door for Carlton Baugh, the understudy wicket-keeper to Ridley Jacobs who can play as a specialist batsman.
Fast bowler Adam Sanford and uncapped left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mahommed are in the frame to replace Collymore.
Although South Africa won the first Test in the four-match series by 189 runs in Johannesburg, Lara took a world record 28 runs off a single over from Peterson on his way to a score of 202.
Meanwhile, Gary Kirsten, already South Africa’s most capped player, will play his 96th Test.
Stalwart batsman Kirsten is likely to return to the team after missing the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
Left-arm wrist spinner Paul Adams was the other player recalled to the South Africa squad, in place of left-arm finger spinner Robin Peterson.
But two days of rain in Durban this week could affect the XI the home side selects for the match.
Durban traditionally favours seam and swing bowlers early in a match before offering batsmen a sound platform on which to perform.
Teams (from):
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Paul Adams, Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Rudolph, Martin van Jaarsveld.
West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Carlton Baugh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Dave Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Adam Sanford, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith.—Reuters
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