The West Indies will trade its off-field problems for a tough on-field cricket examination when it meets No.1-ranked South Africa in a three-Test series.

The series, which starts on Wednesday, will be the team’s first action since its tour of India was abandoned in October because of a pay dispute.

The repercussions of that remain unresolved and a damages claim from the Board of Control for Cricket in India hangs over the WICB.

A young West Indies side can expect little comfort against the world’s best team at a venue where the hosts have won 14 of 19 Tests.

“It’s going to be a tough tour for us,” said captain Denesh Ramdin.

“Our last memory of being here was that we won the first Test match, but then didn’t show the (necessary) fight and determination throughout the series… Hopefully we can take some experience from that and play some positive cricket.”

The West Indies last toured in 2007/08 when it won its opening Test, but was beaten heavily in the second and third Tests.

It will be without talismanic opening batsman Chris Gayle, whose long-standing back injury flared up in the last month when playing Twenty20 cricket for a South African franchise, and Darren Bravo, who opted out of the tour for personal reasons.

The West Indies batting will lean on veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels, who was top run-scorer on the last tour of South Africa.

There is more optimism about the bowling line-up, in which left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell has been added to a seam department that includes Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder.

“He is always very enthusiastic,” chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd said of Cottrell.

“Left-hand quicks don’t come often and he is somebody we need to nurture and take along with us as long as possible. He could be very lively.”

South Africa has played only three Tests since the retirement of iconic captain Graeme Smith in March and has not played the format since a one-off game in Zimbabwe in July.

“I am actually a bit nervous starting this Test series because we haven’t played a lot of Test cricket over the last couple of months,” said Domingo.

“We are still trying to find the right combinations and the right personnel after the loss of guys like Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.”