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Craig HillCaribbean Glory in store for home team
March 8th 2007 23:14
Brian Lara, that being is style and all, is playing it very cool in the lead up to the World Cup. The semi finals are his first goal which seems a reasonable proposition. Underneath his calm exterior he must be quietly confident about his team’s chances. Despite the historical buffs being quick to point out that a host nation has never been successful in a World Cup the West Indies possess a solid line up that has proven itself in the past.
The ICC knock out championship victory in 2004 was a pointer to the potential in the team and many sides, most notably Australia, in recent years have come unstuck when the West Indies builds momentum through a series. Chasing down targets of any size is something Brian Lara's side has been very good at. Gayle at the top of the order can scythe apart any attack and with Sarwan and Lara in the middle order chipping away at an eight an over asking rate never seems a trouble.
One weakness if the lack of a real world class all-rounder. Dwayne Bravo has shown plenty of potential in the last few years but too often only seems to perform with bat or ball in the course of the series and not both.
Their bowling appears to be gaining in consistency and with Lawson and Powell there is some injection of much needed venom to supplement seasoned performers like Bradshaw.
The West Indies appear to be good value at $ 8.50 with Sportsbet and you never know their home crowd may well be a bigger asset than many people realise. Sri Lanka at $9.00 look to be worth some money as well. Their team is similar to the West Indies in composition, explosive at the top, accumulating in the middle and with a varied attack. The two teams may not meet in the final but expect one of them to be there at the end, perhaps holding the trophy.
The ICC knock out championship victory in 2004 was a pointer to the potential in the team and many sides, most notably Australia, in recent years have come unstuck when the West Indies builds momentum through a series. Chasing down targets of any size is something Brian Lara's side has been very good at. Gayle at the top of the order can scythe apart any attack and with Sarwan and Lara in the middle order chipping away at an eight an over asking rate never seems a trouble.
One weakness if the lack of a real world class all-rounder. Dwayne Bravo has shown plenty of potential in the last few years but too often only seems to perform with bat or ball in the course of the series and not both.
Their bowling appears to be gaining in consistency and with Lawson and Powell there is some injection of much needed venom to supplement seasoned performers like Bradshaw.
The West Indies appear to be good value at $ 8.50 with Sportsbet and you never know their home crowd may well be a bigger asset than many people realise. Sri Lanka at $9.00 look to be worth some money as well. Their team is similar to the West Indies in composition, explosive at the top, accumulating in the middle and with a varied attack. The two teams may not meet in the final but expect one of them to be there at the end, perhaps holding the trophy.
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