West Indies skipper Brian Lara fires in a return while Chris Gayle (right) and Kieron Pollard watch during a training session at Kensington Oval. The West Indies will play Zimbabwe in a Cricket World Cup match at Sabina Park today. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Following Pakistan's embarrassing performance against Ireland on Saturday ? a performance that has left them winless after two matches and without a chance of moving into the next round, the West Indies take on Zimbabwe at Sabina Park today in a contest which could see them booking a place into the Super Eights.
After what appeared then to have been a top- class performance when they clipped Pakistan?s wings in the opening match seven days ago, the West Indies are bubbling with confidence and despite Saturday?s upsets which also saw Bangladesh shocking India in Port-of-Spain, they are tipped to win, to make it two from two, and, with one match to go in round one, to waltz into round two where the big eight will do battle for a place among the big four.
The Windies are confident, not only because they boast a four-from-four record against Zimbabwe, an that performance was devalued on Saturday, not only because they won so convincingly last Tuesday.
The West Indies are bursting with confidence because they also possess a batting line-up that includes Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels and captain Brian Lara, and Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith.
Confident
They are also confident because in Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Corey Collymore, Bravo and Smith, they possess a quintet of pacers that gave away only two wides and bowled not one single no-ball in 47.2 overs on Tuesday; in Gayle and Samuels they possess two useful slow bowlers; and also, led by Bravo?s two brilliant catches, because in the field they committed only one error while defeating Pakistan.
While it is true that Gayle and Chanderpaul did not come off last time out, on their day, one is a blaster of the ball and one is a solid player who can at times be brutal. While it is true that Lara, who looked good, also did not come off, he is one of the best in the world, and with Sarwan and Samuels apparently in good form, with Bravo, also apparently in good form, and with Smith, who smashed a breezy 32, apparently in good nick, the West Indies batting, if they all come off, if two or three of them come off, if Gayle and Chanderpaul come off, the West Indies batting could destroy Zimbabwe?s bowling.
An it was hardly expected ? at least not by many ? if Powell, Taylor and Collymore, Bravo and Smith bowl as well as they did last Tuesday, if Gayle and Samuels are as tight as they can be, the West Indies bowling, backed up by their fielding, should be too good, too hot for Zimbabwe.
In pacers Ed Rainsford and Christopher Mpofu, however, in captain and off-spinner Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwe have three reasonably good bowlers, and in Terry Duffin, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsinkenyeri, Chamu Chibhabha and Sean Williams they also have some good and attacking batsmen.
Based on last Thursday?s performance, their fielding against Ireland was a disappointment. On Saturday, however, Ireland were brilliant, and if Zimbabwe can also turn around their performance in the field, it could be an interesting contest ? and especially so if the pitch is as thickly grassed as it was on Saturday, and if Zimbabwe win the toss and decide to bowl first.
Can Zimbabwe do on to the West Indies what Bangladesh did to India and Ireland did to Pakistan on Saturday?
Based on the fact that the West Indies have defeated Zimbabwe by 75 runs, by eight wickets, by 10 wickets, and by six wickets in previous World Cup contests, based on the fact tha one is ranked at number eight and one only two places behind at number 10, one boasts 4,117 points and a rating of 103 to the other?s 755 points and a rating of 22, and based on the players in both teams, Zimbabwe, pitch or no pitch, should not defeat the West Indies. In fact, it should be a one-sided contest.
Apart from the memory of Saturday?s results, however, in 1996 Kenya shocked the world when they routed the West Indies for 93 and defeated them by 73 runs. And in their bid to book a place into the next round early, the West Indies, probably unlike Pakistan and may be also India, had better be careful.
The West Indies, as good as they are in comparison to Zimbabwe and as good as they may be playing, cannot afford to take anything, or anyone, for granted ? and especially so as their next match, their last match in the round, is against Ireland.
