[Match Thread] West Indies v Zimbabwe (1st ODI)

[maehara]

West Indies v Zimbabwe: 1st ODI
Providence Stadium, Guyana, 4th March 2010

Momentum should be with Zimbabwe after the T20, and apparently Guyana has had similar problems with lack of rainfall to Trinidad - meaning the chances of a spin-friendly pitch are good. If Zimbabwe are genuinely aiming to win the series, they'll want to keep the momentum going by winning this match, but:
a) our batsmen need to collectively stand up and be counted - we can't keep on with the situation where only one or two players make useful contributions; and
b) the West Indies now know our gameplan and can plan accordingly.

Should be an interesting match..!

[jamthala]

50 overs is dufferent game,if zim bowlers take early wicket of gayle and chanderpaul than west indies will definitely struggled.

[mdm]

Gayle is the man to get, but if Zim needs to win they need to keep a level head. Our bowlers need discipline. If the opening bowlers do well im sure we can trap the West indies . Hopefully there wont be a top order collapse from Zim, yes a team effort is needed. We are actually have a psychological advantage from the T20 Match plus the West Indies have just come from a series loss against the Aussies in addition to all that is happening in West indies cricket. Im sure Zimbabwe can win if they bowl well. The spinners have shown they can do it now our pace bowlers need to deliver as well.

[jamthala]

Gayle is the man to get, but if Zim needs to win they need to keep a level head. Our bowlers need discipline. If the opening bowlers do well im sure we can trap the West indies . Hopefully there wont be a top order collapse from Zim, yes a team effort is needed. We are actually have a psychological advantage from the T20 Match plus the West Indies have just come from a series loss against the Aussies in addition to all that is happening in West indies cricket. Im sure Zimbabwe can win if they bowl well. The spinners have shown they can do it now our pace bowlers need to deliver as well.

man 50 over game need batting also.i hope zim make a competitve score.

[mdm]

Gayle is the man to get, but if Zim needs to win they need to keep a level head. Our bowlers need discipline. If the opening bowlers do well im sure we can trap the West indies . Hopefully there wont be a top order collapse from Zim, yes a team effort is needed. We are actually have a psychological advantage from the T20 Match plus the West Indies have just come from a series loss against the Aussies in addition to all that is happening in West indies cricket. Im sure Zimbabwe can win if they bowl well. The spinners have shown they can do it now our pace bowlers need to deliver as well.

man 50 over game need batting also.i hope zim make a competitve score.

yeah thats why i said "hopefully there wont be a top order collapse."

[Horo]

i think this series wont be as " Gayle " dependant as the australian tour was now that chanderpaul and bravo are back in the batting lineup and barath also i guess

[Flower power]

Gayle this Gayle that . With or without Gayle , winning comes fromm a team effort . Benn destroyed our to order but his batsmen could not back him . That is a sign that the Windies team is not coherent. Even if Gayle makes 200 the rest of his team will let him down .Windies no longer play as a team as they did in the 80's .
West Indies is noiw history period . They are going to be Zim's punching bag when it returns to Tests hopefully .
When Zim machinery is now well oiled we would have a go on WIndies & Banga initially then look to other nations.

[Dr_Situ(ZimFanatic)]

CricInfo preview

Struggling teams in basement battle

Big Picture

West Indies and Zimbabwe are both in the midst of internal changes under newly-appointed coaches, but despite assurances from captain Prosper Utseya that the team would not get ahead of themselves after their 26-run victory in the Twenty20 at Port of Spain, the mood in the Zimbabwe camp is likely to be far more buoyant ahead of the one-day series. For their part, West Indies will be desperate for a morale-boosting victory in the first ODI in Guyana after a winless tour of Australia and their spineless batting in Trinidad.

While it is still far too early to place Zimbabwe unequivocally in cricket's mainstream, the changes in the country's cricket are evident in the refurbished domestic structure, a successfully-organised domestic Twenty20 league, and the appointment of Alan Butcher, Stephen Mangongo, Heath Streak and Grant Flower to key coaching positions. Tatenda Taibu, one of their most experienced players, has said that the team "want to play hard cricket again", and the time has come for them to back up words with results.

Ottis Gibson, West Indies' new coach, has insisted that his side did not take the opposition lightly in the Twenty20, but that should make the team's inability to come to terms with Zimbabwe's tactics all the more worrying. The team that played on Sunday was still stripped of key players, but West Indies are well and truly in the doldrums, having won just two games since reaching the World Twenty20 semi-finals in June last year, and with the threat of disputes between the board and players' association still lingering.

Chris Gayle has returned to their squad after being given compassionate leave to attend to his ailing mother. With the team management still assessing the fitness of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, Gayle's performance at the top of the order - together with that of Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the middle - will be crucial. If West Indies fail to win the first one-dayer, panic could set in requiring Sarwan and Bravo to be fast-tracked back into the side.

Zimbabwe's exposure to limited-overs cricket recently has been largely confined to playing Bangladesh - they won four and lost ten ODIs against them in 2009 - and Kenya. They have made clear their goal to return to Test cricket in the near future, and a strong showing in one-dayers against a Test nation - albeit a weak one - will be vital to their aims.

Form Guide (Last five completed matches)

Zimbabwe LLLLL
West Indies LLLLL

Watch out for

A dominant force in Zimbabwean domestic cricket this season, Elton Chigumbura was a member of the Zimbabwe team that toured the West Indies in 2006, and as a 20-year-old struck a 59-ball 60 at the Bourda Oval in Georgetown. He provided a glimpse of his hitting ability with a rapid 34 in Zimbabwe's shock victory in the Twenty20 at Queen's Park Oval on Sunday, and with conditions at Providence likely to be similarly challenging, quick runs from Chigumbura will be vital to bolster a brittle batting line-up and give Zimbabwe's spin-heavy attack a defendable total. A wicket-taker rather than a run-saver, he is also likely to open the bowling.

Chris Gayle has been the man to inspire West Indies with explosive innings in recent years, and they will certainly be bolstered by his return to the squad. Though he struggled in the recent one-day series in Australia - particularly against Doug Bollinger's pace and aggression - playing Zimbabwe in much more familiar conditions is a far less daunting proposition. Gayle is capable of dominating any international attack once he gets going, and has a prolific record against Zimbabwe, with over 1,000 runs - including two hundreds - against them in 15 matches. While his record at Providence is not good, if Zimbabwe do not dismiss him early Gayle could easily take West Indies' total beyond the reach of the touring side's batsmen.

Team news

Though Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan have not been included in the squad for the opening one-day game, West Indies will be boosted by Gayle's return, and will also depend heavily on Chanderpaul's extensive experience and calm batting.

West Indies (probable) - 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Dwayne Smith, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Nikita Miller

Chris Mpofu and Kyle Jarvis both proved expensive in Zimbabwe's warm-up game against the UWI Vice Chancellor's XI, and with another spin-friendly surface expected in Guyana, Zimbabwe could well go for a three-pronged slow bowling attack once again.

Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Brendan Taylor 4 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 5 Charles Coventry, 6 Greg Lamb, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya (capt), 9 Ray Price, 10 Graeme Cremer, 11 Shingirai Masakadza

Pitch and conditions

A contributing factor to the dry, crumbling pitch used in the Twenty20 in Trinidad is the drought which has gripped the entire Caribbean region since October - usually the wettest month - and Guyana has certainly not escaped its effects. Expect hot, dry conditions and another cracked, spin-friendly surface.

Stats and trivia

The sides batting first at the Providence Stadium have won six of the eight games played there since April 2007.

Bermuda and Canada are the only teams Zimbabwe have ever beaten in one-day internationals in the West Indies. They managed a tie against Ireland at the World Cup, but have lost eight games - with one match rained off - against the home team since they first toured the region in 1999-2000.

Although the wicket for Thursday's game is expected to favour spinners, there are only two slow bowlers - Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori - in the top ten of the list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets at the ground.

Quotes

"We know the West Indies are a good team, but once we settle down and play good cricket, we know we can be tough for any opposition on any given day."
Prosper Utseya believes his team have a good chance of victory in the one-day series

"He is an inspiration to the guys. He gives them a lift as if they are on Cloud Nine."
Ottis Gibson hints at Chris Gayle's importance to the confidence of a beleaguered West Indies team

Good to know Gayle's poor record at Providence

[jamthala]

Toss is going to happen in few minutes.

[Flower power]

if we win the toss then we win the game.