St. Catherine's Tony Powell plays a shot during the morning session of the Supreme Ventures Senior Cup final against Kensington at Sabina Park. Powell top scored with 79.
- Junior Dowie photo
LONDON, CMC
CONSCIOUS of his opponents' consistently improving form and greater experience in several key areas, Brian Lara says New Zealand will start favourites in today's NatWest Series final at Lord's.
"They are a very experienced outfit, winning the preliminary stage of the tournament very convincingly," the West Indies captain admitted as he faced the media yesterday afternoon just before his team's practice session in preparation for the showpiece occasion.
"They should go into the match as favourites, but having said that, it's one game, 100 overs tomorrow, and we're looking to come out on top."
The Black Caps played unbeaten in their three completed matches in the preliminary phase of the three-nation tournament, and while hosts England are left sulking on the sidelines having missed out on the final for the second time in four years, Lara remains hopeful that his team can get it together as they did four days earlier at the same venue against the English the top order clicked perfectly in a potentially daunting chase of 286 for victory.
"The mood is very buoyant. The guys are very happy that they could play good cricket when it mattered most so far," he added.
BIGGER AND HAPPIER
"The last time we've made a one-day final was in Zimbabwe (2001) against India, everyone is looking forward to it. We were also looking forward to the match on Thursday to try and get a psychological advantage ahead of the final. That didn't happen, but now with the Test guys around, the squad is even bigger and happier."
Fast bowlers Pedro Collins
and Fidel Edwards, batsman
Sylvester Joseph and off-spinning all-rounder Omari Banks arrived in London yesterday morning and joined the one-day squad in the training session at Lord's in conditions that were bright but still very cool as the unusual summer storm that contributed to the washout of Thursday's fixture in Southampton continues to affect the British Isles.
The allocation of a reserve day for the final, and rules that dictated that the match will continue tomorrow and not start afresh if interrupted today, suggest that there should be a result unless the weather takes another unexpected turn. New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has acknowledged that the threat of the West Indies lies in the immense talent of the Caribbean side's batsmen to chase a target.
However, he believes that when put under pressure, their inexperience contributes to their demise, and will be looking to give his bowlers first use of the Lord's pitch.
With all six completed matches in the competition so far won by the team batting second, Lara acknowledges that the toss will be a significant factor.
"Both captains will want to field first," he noted.
"But looking at how England batted here on Tuesday, you can get how much you want if you bat properly. The challenge is knowing what is enough.
"Of course we would love to win the toss but we won't be stressing to the team that it is so important. We want to believe that we can win the game on our own merit once we play properly."
SOLID PLATFORM
They certainly didn't play properly a week ago in Cardiff when, having been given a solid platform by their captain, the West Indies middle and lower-order folded meekly and the Black Caps cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the only completed match between the two teams in the preliminaries.
Yet, as much as every West Indian rejoiced, the high-scoring triumph against England in the Lord's sunshine last Tuesday, the back-up bowling of Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith proved extremely expensive, conceding a combined 151 runs in 20 overs.
But Lara is not unduly perturbed.
"I wouldn't mind the same scenario if we can keep New Zealand down to under 100 runs in almost 30 overs because they will have to kick-start their innings at some point in time," he explained.
"At the end of the day, we had planned our innings from the start knowing what we needed to get.
"Of course those guys will have to improve and I don't think the experience of Tuesday will go to waste. The mistake then may have been not sing (Ricardo) Powell or (Ramnaresh) Sarwan to give me more options at the end."
A REAL FIGHT
Acknowledging that his opponents never give up in almost any circumstances, Lara knows that the West Indies are in for a real fight from a team keen to end a disappointing tour on a high note.
Fleming's men were whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series by England, but their one-day form including a resounding 4-1 whipping of South Africa at home - is as clear a signal as possible that the Black Caps are a well-drilled unit that will not be easily ruffled by occasional flashes of brilliance from their opponents. The West Indies are set to use the same 11 that won at Lord's to clinch a place in the final, while New Zealand, who have effectively enjoyed five days' rest, should welcome back key all-rounder Chris Cairns, who though still troubled by an ankle injury, wants to sign-off on a high at the headquarters of the game.
TEAMS:
West Indies (probable) - Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Dwayne Bravo, Ridley Jacobs, Ian Bradshaw, Tino Best.
New Zealand (probable) - Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Gareth Hopkins, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Ian Butler.
