WI at it again

by HAYDN GILL  in AntiguaTHEY have played eight Twenty20 matches in a shade over three weeks.Two days after a fifth defeat that should leave them doing some serious soul-searching, West Indies have to change the mindset and adjust to a longer version of the game.Even before they can find the answers to what went wrong in successive defeats to South Africa in the two-match Digicel Twenty20 International Series, they return to the Vivian Richards Stadium this morning for the first of five One-Day Internationals.It was back to the same venue early yesterday morning looking to iron out the deficiencies less than 24 hours after their heart-breaking one-run loss the previous evening that left captain Chris Gayle questioning the state of mind of some of his batsmen.While the transition period was a bare minimum, Gayle didn’t see it as much of a negative.“Hopefully we can use it as an advantage for us – give the T20 a break, and move on to this version  of the game,” he said.“We want to turn up a bit more ready and be a bit more intense out there. The bowlers are doing well.  It’s up to us now as batters to try and get the runs  on the board.”Both defeats, on pitches that weren’t entirely  tailor-made for batting, showed up inadequate  run-chases.The target was 121 when they lost by the narrowest of margins, and in the opening match they were  set 137 and went under by 13 runs.While the quality of the pitches has been questioned by some, Gayle didn’t read too much into them, describing the surfaces as ‘on-and-off’.“You might get away with it in T20 because  it’s a shorter version of the game. I don’t know  what to expect in the 50 overs. We just have to wait and see,” he said.It was the first time the ground was used for an international match since serving a one-year ban imposed by the International Cricket Council after  a Test match against England was abandoned last year because of a sandy outfield.The only first-class match in the build-up to these matches was in January, and South Africa captain Graeme Smith was among those who did not give  the pitches a glowing report“It was tough. Cricket hasn’t been played here  a lot on the recent past. From our perspective, it was  a difficult wicket to be free-flowing on,” he said.“If you managed to get to 135, you’d set a great total. From a spectator point of view, they want to see more flowing cricket. It was one of those wickets  where it was about being efficient than being flashy.”Both matches produced moments of cricket  that left a lot to be desired.Mistakes, some bordering on laughable, were made by players and officials, including run-outs off wides, missed catches and a batsman walking off for a catch to the keeper when an umpire had called wide.“Both games had good moments and bad moments, nothing in between. There were times where it became a bit comical in the two games,” Smith said.“There was some really good cricket in between. There were two games where both teams were searching for confidence and trying to find their  feet again.”Most of the foul-ups were displayed by West Indies but Gayle offered a more positive spin.“Things might seem a bit flat coming off the [World] T20 series,” he said.“We’re playing against one of the best teams  in the world.  The quality of the cricket is always going to be good.”Both sides are expected to make a few  changes today.In an effort to lengthen a worrying batting line-up, West Indies could slot in wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin at the expense of a bowler. He can also be a direct  swap with Andre Fletcher.Fletcher kept wicket impressively in both Twenty20 matches, but his returns with the bat continue  to be disappointing.South Africa, who are using this series as part of their preparations for the 2011 World Cup, will stay with AB deVilliers as their wicketkeeper, but Mark Boucher could also be used as a specialist batsman.MATCH DETAILSWest Indies v South AfricaVenue: Vivian Richards Cricket GroundThe teams (from):WEST INDIES – Chris Gayle (captain), Andre Fletcher, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Narsingh Deonarine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul.SOUTH AFRICA – Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, JP Duminy, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Alviro Petersen, Johan Botha, Charl Langeveldt, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe.Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia), Norman Malcolm (Jamaica). TV replays: Clyde Duncan (Guyana). Fourthofficial: Clancy Mack (Antigua).Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).Playing times: 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.; 1:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.