Proteas wary of Windies

JAIPUR – South Africa skipper Graeme Smith said adaptability would be the key to success against an unpredictable West Indies in the Champions Trophy semi-final today.

“The unpredictable nature can count against them, but it can also be a major bonus for them. The key for us is to adapt to the conditions better than the other team,” Smith said ahead of today’s match.The West Indies beat South Africa in the 2003 World Cup and in the Champions Trophy in England the following year.The defeats contributed to South Africa’s failure to enter the semi-finals on both occasions.But Smith denied it was a grudge match.Defending champions West Indies began their group matches on a sensational note when they defeated world champions Australia.They also beat India before losing to England in a ‘dead’ match.The South African captain said his team needed to stick to their plans and keep pressure on the West Indies, who had more than one match-winner in their ranks.Smith did not believe their top-order batting was a major cause of concern, saying he was confident the batsmen would come good in the crunch match.South Africa had played three matches on different pitches, scoring 108 against New Zealand, 219 against Sri Lanka and 213 against Pakistan.Mark Boucher, Justin Kemp and AB de Villiers are the only batsmen to have scored a half-century, while Smith, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs are yet to fire.Smith said his batsmen needed to adapt themselves to the pitch here because it looked a bit inconsistent.West Indies captain Brian Lara was confident his team would put in an impressive performance against second-ranked South Africa, saying they had been playing good cricket in recent months.The West Indies beat India 4-1 at home in May, qualified for a triangular one-day series final in Kuala Lumpur in September and then won four of their six matches in the ongoing tournament.AFPThe key for us is to adapt to the conditions better than the other team,” Smith said ahead of today’s match.The West Indies beat South Africa in the 2003 World Cup and in the Champions Trophy in England the following year.The defeats contributed to South Africa’s failure to enter the semi-finals on both occasions.But Smith denied it was a grudge match.Defending champions West Indies began their group matches on a sensational note when they defeated world champions Australia.They also beat India before losing to England in a ‘dead’ match.The South African captain said his team needed to stick to their plans and keep pressure on the West Indies, who had more than one match-winner in their ranks.Smith did not believe their top-order batting was a major cause of concern, saying he was confident the batsmen would come good in the crunch match.South Africa had played three matches on different pitches, scoring 108 against New Zealand, 219 against Sri Lanka and 213 against Pakistan.Mark Boucher, Justin Kemp and AB de Villiers are the only batsmen to have scored a half-century, while Smith, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs are yet to fire.Smith said his batsmen needed to adapt themselves to the pitch here because it looked a bit inconsistent.West Indies captain Brian Lara was confident his team would put in an impressive performance against second-ranked South Africa, saying they had been playing good cricket in recent months.The West Indies beat India 4-1 at home in May, qualified for a triangular one-day series final in Kuala Lumpur in September and then won four of their six matches in the ongoing tournament.AFP