West Indies coach Phil Simmons wants to blow away South Africa with his pace attack in the first Test.
Starting at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground tomorrow, Simmons believes the five-day clash will be won by the team whose bowlers bowl best.
The former Windes allrounder explains: “Both teams’ stronger suit is their bowling and for me that’s where the competition lies – which team bowls better, which team holds their catches, should come out on top.”
Of his fast bowling unit, led by Kemar Roach, Simmons says: “The fast bowling department has been strong for a while now.
“They are the ones that kept us in games a lot of the times, coming out and bowling out teams when it didn’t seem likely…
“Everyone looks sharp in the nets, so I think that’s going to be a good side of our game from Thursday.”
Simmons, though, warns the likes of Roach and Shannon Gabriel that they will have to be at their best, with South Africa batting low down.
He says: “Any team you come up against you have to look at a way you can exploit them, and I think they are very strong at the top with the captain [Dean Elgar].
“And with people like [Quinton] de Kock, you still have to get everyone out and I think we have to bowl well in their middle order in order to get them out... they seem to bat a long way down.”
With Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi in the Proteas side, the battle of the ball starts at 4pm tomorrow.