Lara's return looms over second Test

Record-breaking batsman Lara and six other players were left out of the squad for the drawn first Test in Georgetown because of a sponsorship dispute.

The disagreement was put on hold when Cable & Wireless, whose individual sponsorship of the seven players rankled main team sponsor Digicel, agreed to conditionally suspend their deals with the players.

Lara, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, who were all among the players sponsored by Cable & Wireless, were named in the squad for the second Test.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul captained the West Indies for the first time in his 81st Test in Georgetown, and has retained the leadership for the rest of the series as well as the following two Tests against Pakistan.

Lara, who holds the world record scored of 400 not out, scored two centuries and two half-centuries the last time the two sides met, in South Africa in 2003-04, averaged 66.37.

However he was dismissed five times in eight innings by fast bowler Andre Nel, who is likely to play on Friday.

"We've got things that worked well against him at home, and we hope Nel can bowl as well to him as he did in South Africa," South African captain Graeme Smith told a news conference on Thursday.

West Indies coach Bennett King played down the possibility of a looming battle between Lara and Nel.

"I haven't looked back at how Nel dismissed Lara, and whether he did so after he had scored a century," King told a news conference.

"That was a different series in a different environment, on different pitches and in different weather."

Nel made an impact at South Africa's net practice at Queen's Park Oval on Thursday, unfortunately it ended with captain Smith being taken to hospital for stitches in his chin after

Team sources said Smith's participation in the test is not in doubt, although the incident prompted coach Ray Jennings to suspend bowling, and the session proceeded with thrown deliveries only.

GREENISH SURFACE

The Port of Spain pitch has produced results in 11 of the last 12 Test matches played there, and it sported a greenish surface on Thursday, offering plenty of encouragement for the bowlers.

"This is a result wicket and it will play a lot different to Guyana," Smith said before Nel struck him.

"It's going to be hard work for the batsmen, and we're very focused. It's important that we start well, and that we are ready from session one -- we need to be switched on."

South Africa are likely to bolster their batting in the wake of their first innings of 188 in Georgetown, which could mean a recall for Ashwell Prince at the expense of all rounder Andrew Hall.

"We didn't play well enough in the first Test," Smith said. "It was great to get out of trouble, but it was a wake-up call for all of us in terms of what's required."

Chanderpaul had better memories of the first Test at the Bourda, where South Africa became the first team to follow on since the West Indies against England in 1954.

"We need to play the way we did in Guyana," Chanderpaul told reporters, adding that they would go into the match without a frontline spinner.

Squads:

West Indies: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Courtney Browne, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Donovan Pagon, Dwayne Bravo, Daren Powell, Pedro Collins, Reon King, Dwight Washington.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain) Nicky Boje, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Monde Zondeki.