ttgapers.com

It is such a scene of desperation that forms the backdrop for the first international match at the new Grenada National Stadium. The impressive facility, built with Chinese money, is a superior, scenic successor to the edifice which Hurricane Ivan blew down almost two years ago.

It stands as concrete proof of how real and possible is resurrection.

And those who take advantage of the public holiday declared for the occasion and the ease in restrictions on spectators as declared by the Cricket World Cup organisers in their "Ram-de-Dance" campaign may also see the Windies revive their Cup hopes.

Certainly, Brian Lara's men need to play with the spirit that everything is still possible. A victory over Graeme Smith's side today will draw them level with the Proteas on four points with two Super Eight games to go. But South Africa, with New Zealand and England still to play, will have the slightly more difficult run-in, seemingly, than the West Indies, who have Bangladesh and England to follow.

Both teams need no reminding that any more errors could be fatal now.

Certainly, South African coach Micky Arthur is well aware of the situation facing the home side especially.

"I expect the West Indies to be hungry. I expect the West Indies to play with a lot of fire, play with a lot of passion and I expect them to be desperate, just like we are gonna be," Arthur told the media yesterday.

Pilloried publicly by ex-players for their grossly lacklustre play in the Super Eights, the Windies players simply cannot do worse than they have against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The only way now is up for this team that plays in spurts. And the signs for a positive run are not that poor.

First, the skipper said the short, much-debated break the players were afforded has "definitely refreshed" his group.

Second, Bangladesh's stunning conquest of the South Africans on Saturday has made the Windies' task of qualification less improbable.

"We have three (Super Eight) games left in the tournament. If we win all three games, there's a great chance of us getting into the semi-finals. That is enough motivation," Lara declared yesterday.

But the captain also hinted that World Cup resurrection at this stage also had to be sparked by personal desire.

"I think the most important thing for us is that we have some sort of self-motivation," he said. "That is half the job done. It makes it much easier for the management to implement the rest of it."

His players have had time to think the first three matches over, to as he said, "look in the mirror".

So have the South Africans after their Bangladesh debacle.

And coach Arthur was confident enough to say yesterday that his charges had "put everything behind us".

South Africa, though, are not without a lingering problem, namely Herschelle Gibbs.

He remains their most explosive batsman, but his strained calf muscle leaves him, according to Arthur, with only a "50-50" chance of playing today.

The unknown quantity of the new strip here at Queen's Park could also pose selection issues for them, although it will be a surprise if the team winning the toss does not bowl first.

In whichever way his squad will have to go for victory today-chasing a score or defending one-Lara knows the Windies will simply have to handle the pressure.

He hopes they can do so by applying the squeeze themselves...early.

"The most important thing is to put the team under pressure," he said. "The matches that we have played and won, we put the opposition under pressure pretty early and similar in the matches we have lost.

"In the batting department in the matches against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, we were under so much pressure the (required) run rate moved from six to eight or nine runs an over At some point in time you got to soak up pressure. But if we could put our heads in front at the beginning of the game and stay in front, it creates a lot of pressure for the opposing team."

And South Africa are a team with a history of buckling in big tournaments.

For instance, on the last four occasions they have met in major series-the 1996 and 2003 World Cups and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 and 2006-the Windies have triumphed.

It is the kind of history the Queen's Park crowd will be screaming to see repeated today.

Teams:

West Indies from: Brian Lara (Capt), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor, Darren Powell, Corey Collymore, Ian Bradshaw, Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard.

South Africa from: Graeme Smith (Capt), Loots Bosman, Jacques Kallis, A.B. de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Roger Telemachus.