Windies, Lankans to challenge India
With India enjoying an additional 48 hours to bask in the glory of
their Champions Trophy triumph, West Indies and Sri Lanka get the
Tri-Nation One-Day International Series underway on Friday at Sabina
Park.
Both teams have points to prove after being steamrolled by the ODI
kings over the previous fortnight in England.
For the Sri Lankans, this fixture marks just the second time that
they are playing an ODI at major international cricket’s westernmost
venue.
The only other occasion came at the 2007 World Cup when Mahela
Jayawardene’s unruffled unbeaten hundred led his side comfortably past
New Zealand in the semi-finals, only for them to be upended by
hat-trick-seeking Australia in the final three days later in Barbados.
West Indies were the first to feel the weight of India at their best
at the Champions Trophy at the group stage of the competition before
missing out on the last four agonisingly when Kieron Pollard’s dismissal
just before the rains came at Cardiff left the Caribbean side trailing
South Africa on the Duckworth-Lewis System.
While no-one wants to have to return to the sometimes bewildering
formulae and calclulations necessitated by Duckworth-Lewis, it will be
no surprise if batting second and then staying ahead of the par score
becomes a priority during the seven matches of this tournament.
An increasingly crammed international itinerary, coupled with the
scheduling of the money-spinning Indian Premier League at a time when
the West Indies would usually have been in action on home soil, means
that this event follows the pattern of recent years with the almost
ever-present threat of showers accompanying a series. Yet whatever the
conditions overhead, it is the situation on the ground that Ottis Gibson
wants his team to focus on. Despite the acute disappointment of the
manner in which they missed out on a place in the Champions Trophy
semi-finals, the head coach of the T20 world champions asserts that the
players under his care “are taking more responsibility and are starting
to believe a lot more” that they can go all the way in major
competitions. Having retained the same squad from the Champions Trophy,
with the exception of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder, the West Indies
will again be looking to Chris Gayle to provide the firepower and
momentum at the start of their innings. The additional motivation for
the imposing opening batsman being that the will be performing in front
of his fellow Jamaicans.
Despite the tag of cricketing bridesmaids increasingly becoming a
millstone around the necks of the Sri Lankans, captain Angelo Mathews
dismissed speculation as to his team’s mood after falling short again at
the Champions Trophy. “We have played some really good cricket, beating
England and Australia. Confidence is pretty high,” he noted, adding that
the absence of Tillekeratne Dilshan through injury will give one or two
fringe players an opportunity to shine. In such a short tournament - the
first non-bilateral series played in the regional by ICC full-member
nations since Pakistan and Zimbabwe toured together in 2000 - there is
little room for manoeuvring in the event of early setbacks.
So even if there is an element of fatigue on what is becoming an
almost non-stop international cricketing treadmill, personal and
professional pride are bound to come to the fore and ensure a
competitive edge.
Fixtures
June 28 - West Indies vs Sri Lanka - Jamaica
June 30 - West Indies vs India - Jamaica
July 02 - India vs Sri Lanka - Jamaica
July 05 - West Indies vs India - Trinidad
July 07 - West Indies vs Sri Lanka - Trinidad
July 09 - India vs Sri Lanka - Trinidad
July 11 - Final - Trinidad.
TEAMS
West Indies - Dwayne Bravo (captain), Chris Gayle, Johnson
Charles, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard,
Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Tino Best,
Kemar Roach.
Sri Lanka - Angelo Mathews (captain), Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga,
Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Jeevan Mendis,
Ajantha Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga,
Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Shaminda
Eranga
AFP |