Fidel Edwards ... will lead the West Indies' strike force in the first Test against New Zealand which starts at Eden Park, Auckland today. - DIGICEL PHOTO
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CMC):
HEARTENED BY the arrival of their champion batsman and boosted by victory in the final match of the one-day series, the West Indies will be keen to put pressure on an unfamiliar New Zealand top order when the first match of the three-Test series gets under way this afternoon (Jamaica time) at Eden Park.
The tourists look set to gamble with the inclusion of injured all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as a specialist batsman, but will be counting on fiery pacer Fidel Edwards to build on his impressive performances in the one-dayers in spearheading the bowling attack on a pitch that is likely to be a seamers' paradise.
SPECIALIST SPINNER
Steady rain yesterday restricted the West Indies to training indoors at Eden Park, and with the inclement weather expected to linger until later in the week, head coach and chief tour selector Bennett King may consider a specialist spinner to be a luxury in the conditions.
The decision by New Zealand's selectors to omit Lou Vincent has created quite a stir here, especially with the player publicly expressing his dismay at being discarded on the apparent pretext that he was not keen to open the batting.
The fact that it has brought a sense of vulnerability to the Black Caps, with Hamish Marshall - who has never opened before at this level - set to face the new ball alongside debutant Jamie How, and Peter Fulton expected to follow at number three in his first Test, is a situation that the tourists are keen to capitalise upon, especially if Shivnarine Chanderpaul wins what could be a decisive toss.
"We can't afford to be overconfident," Brian Lara cautioned yesterday. "But we're probably going to be even more aggressive towards those guys to ensure that we stall their progress."
While apologising for his strong remarks to the media on arrival in Auckland on Friday, the former captain left no one in doubt as to his feelings concerning the disparaging comments in the press here about the tourists and their chances in the series.
"Having read some of the reports coming out of New Zealand, I felt it was a bit disrespectful towards us, seeing that we are a country with a greater cricketing history. We are so rich in our legacy that I felt a bit disrespected," the former captain explained.
THE RECORD SPEAKS
"I'm not here to talk about New Zealand cricket. You're supposed to be passionate about your own cricket. But if you put up the (record of) the West Indies against (the record of) New Zealand over the years and look at it, when you scroll down, you'll see a country that has a greater cricketing history than New Zealand. This is what really hurt me."
It is that sense of hurt that could become a significant motivating factor, not just for Lara, but the entire team despite a record that suggests they lack the consistency to get the better of the Black Caps in their own conditions. On the West Indies last tour here six years ago, the team, led by Lara, lost both Tests and all five one-dayers, prompting the star batsman to relinquish the captaincy and take a five-month sabbatical from the game.
HISTORIC 1-0 TRIUMPH
Stephen Fleming then led his team to a historic 1-0 triumph in the two-match Test series in the Caribbean two years ago, and however, heated the debate over the axing of Vincent, the home team start as heavy favourites, especially with ace pacer Shane Bond firing on all cylinders once again.
Bond's dismissal of Chris Gayle four times in six innings so far on the tour gives the fast bowler a distinct psychological advantage.
TEAMS:
NEW ZEALAND (probable) - Stephen Fleming (captain), Hamish Marshall, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Shane Bond.
WEST INDIES (probable) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Ramna-resh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Ian Bradshaw, Darren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor.
