West Indies' Chris Gayle hits a boundary on his way to 82 in the second innings of the first Test in Auckland. Gayle said the team's loss in the opening Test "was devastating". - REUTERS
WELLINGTON (CMC):
WITH THE wounds from the 27-run loss in the first Test still very raw, the West Indies are hoping the pain and disappointment of that squandered opportunity at Eden Park will be an extra motivator heading into the second match of the three-Test series against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve ground.
"I can tell you, it really hurt," said senior opening batsman Chris Gayle before the team's practice session yesterday afternoon of the loss.
"We've been losing games for a few years now, but every time it happens, it really affects us. I'm generally expressionless, but it really hurt this time. It was devastating to us, but we still have a lot of cricket to play and I believe we can still get the job done," he said.
Dismissing the notion that the regular defeats suffered by the West Indies over the past six years have dulled their impact on them, Gayle said it was up to the players to step up for the challenge in the second Test and show how much representing the people of the region means to them.
DEVASTATING
"The dressingroom was so quiet after the match that you could hear a pin drop," he recalled. "It was a shock to us. We couldn't believe what had happened. It was devastating."
In contrast, the hosts were more than pleasantly surprised to see their opponents snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and are banking on a typical Basin Reserve pitch to give them an opportunity to reassert their dominance over Shivnarine Chanderpaul's men.
Unlike the 'drop-in' pitch at Eden Park, the surface here is prepared as part of the traditional turf square in the middle. Apart from what are expected to be seamer-friendly conditions, the ground presents a very difficult challenge for fast bowlers running into a strong, persistent wind from one end.
In light of his long, disciplined spells on his Test debut in Auckland, it will not be surprising if Chanderpaul entrusts Ian Bradshaw with the responsibility of plugging away from that end while Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell share the duties in trying to make significant inroads into the Black Caps' batting with the help of the wind at their backs.
Powell is the automatic replacement for injured fellow Jamaican pacer Jerome Taylor, while Runako Morton should slot into Sarwan's spot at No. 3 in the batting order.
TEAMS:
NEW ZEALAND (probable) - Stephen Fleming (captain), Hamish Marshall, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills.
WEST INDIES (probable) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton, Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Ian Bradshaw, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards.
