Injuries plague WI

March 4: The lingering doubt over Lara adds to the uncertainty which plagues West Indian cricket on and off the field going into the four...

March 4: The lingering doubt over Lara adds to the uncertainty which plagues West Indian cricket on and off the field going into the four-Test series.

Concerns also remain about the fitness of veteran fast bowlers Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. Like Lara they have not played a competitive match since returning a month ago from the tour of South Africa in which West Indies lost all five Tests and six of the seven One-Day matches.

The West Indian selectors have named six fast bowlers in a 15-man squad as cover for injuries.

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Australia have also yet to name a team but there is no doubt both leg-spinners, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, will play along with fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie.

The pitch has a reasonable cover of thick grass but is nothing like the sodden mine-field of a track which confronted the Australians on their last tour four years ago.

The toss is likely to be irrelevant. With a bank of fast bowlers and no spinners, the West Indies will be looking to bowl first toexploit any early life in the pitch.

Australia will want to bat first so the spinners can bowl last on a wearing wicket.

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Despite the good grass coverage Steve Waugh, in his first Test as captain, expects the pitch to begin taking spin after day two.

Almost daily showers have prevented the groundsmen from rolling the wicket as much as they would like to but Waugh was happy with what he saw.