This day/night fixture in one of the most picturesque regions of the Western Cape should see all four players specially selected for the ODI series included in the visitors’ 11, particularly as three of them would have had no previous experience of playing under lights.

Four of the five ODI’s against the South Africans will be day/night fixtures, starting with Sunday’s opener at Newlands in Cape Town. The exception is the penultimate encounter on February 1 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Hard-hitting batsman Ricardo Powell will be right at home in the conditions, having played many of his 79 ODIs under lights, but for Ryan Hurley, Kurt Wilkinson and Ian Bradshaw, this will be their only opportunity for acclimatisation to unusual conditions before the series gets going.

Of the players who have been here since the start of the southern African tour, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul have also yet to play in a day/night ODI, and while the latter will have the chance to try and make an impression, it is likely that the speedy Barbadian will be rested after featuring in all four Tests against South Africa.

Dwayne Smith, who joined the tour during the first Test at Johannesburg, also needs the experience of cricket under lights, and after being brought down to earth with a second innings ‘duck’ on the last day of the Test series on Tuesday, will want to prove that his debut hundred at Newlands was no flash in the pan.

With Wavell Hinds having returned home 11 days ago with a serious groin strain, of particular concern will be settling on an opening partner for Chris Gayle, whose devastating strokeplay in the longer version of the game has whetted the appetite for his appearances in the ODIs.

Both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacobs have experience at the top of the order in the abbreviated game, but after scoring a hundred for Barbados in the first round of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series as an opening batsman, Wilkinson could be given the opportunity to assess if he can be the ideal foil for the powerfully-built Jamaican left-hander.

Whatever the final 11 determined, they will face a formidable challenge from a home team featuring seven players with senior international experience, including two -- captain Neil McKenzie and fellow batsman Martin van Jaarsveld -- who played in the Test series just ended.

McKenzie’s omission from the South African squad for the first two ODIs raised some eyebrows and he will be looking to get back into contention for the remaining matches of the series with a solid performance against opposition he knows only too well.

Left-arm spinner and useful batsman Nicky Boje is set to play his first competitive match since an ugly leg injury on the England tour eight months ago.

He had hoped to return to high-level action on Wednesday, but more rain in the Gauteng province forced the abandonment of Northerns’ scheduled day/night match against Easterns.

Medium-pacer Justin Kemp and spinner Justin Ontong are the typical all-purpose players produced regularly by the South African domestic system as they can also contribute useful runs, bowl effectively, and are excellent fielders.

In the pace department, Mfuneko Ngam and Roger Telemachus will be seeking to keep the West Indies batsmen on the hop to ensure that they stay in the selectors’ minds for a return to senior national colours.

Of the uncapped players in the South Africa A-Team, medium-fast bowler Garnett Kruger and batsman Hashim Amla are on the verge of senior selection.

Kruger was in the squad for the first Test against West Indies, while Amla, a consistent performer for Kwa-Zulu Natal, is tipped to become the first player of full Indian ancestry to play at senior level for SouthAfrica.

The rain could not save the West Indies in the last Test, but it seems the inclement weather has followed them south. After a stiflingly hot day on Wednesday, a cold front, bringing welcome cooler temperatures, but ominous grey clouds, rolled into the Western Cape yesterday.

The visitors will be hoping showers don’t follow today to spoil their only preparation ahead of an eagerly anticipated ODI series.

Squads:

SOUTH AFRICA-A: Neil McKenzie (captain), Martin van Jaarsveld, Loots Bosman, Hashim Amla, Justin Ontong, Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje, Thami Tsolekile, Garnett Kruger, Mfuneko Ngam, Roger Telemachus.