Proteas braced for a high-stakes clash with familiar foes West Indies

SOUTH African cricket has long been entranced with players from the Caribbean islands.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS.

NEW Zealand captain Mitchell Santner starred with bat and ball as the Blackcaps crushed co-hosts Sri Lanka by 61 runs in their T20 World Cup Super Eights match in Colombo yesterday. Santner struck a 26-ball 47 in their total of 168/7, before taking 1/19 in his four overs to help restrict Sri Lanka to 107/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

(AFP)

Their Calypso flair bringing fresh excitement to the local grounds.The journey began with the likes of Sylvester Clarke, Colin Croft, Collis King, Alvin Kallicharran, Franklyn Stephenson and Eldine Baptiste in a previous rebel era, before West Indies legends Desmond Haynes and Malcolm Marshall captivated local audiences with their unique talents during the 1990s.

Barbados duo Haynes and Marshall, in particular, left an indelible footprint on South African cricket beyond just their feats out on the field.

Haynes was hugely influential in the mentoring of future Proteas stars Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis during their embryonic stages of their careers at Newlands, while Marshall guided the likes of Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener at Kingsmead.

Just over a month ago the Betway SA20 Season 4 revived this affinity with an infusion of West Indian talent across the six teams.