Rain, No Play

New Zealand design courtesy of Cameron Sanders.

Coming off the thrashing that the West Indies endured at the hands of Australia over the past two days, the West Indies will do well to win Thursday's match against the Kiwis. While the match is by no means a "must win" for the Windies, a loss would be a very inauspicious start to the Super Eights. The underwhelming local support for the match against Australia was very disappointing, as good fan support will be critical if the Windies are to be ultimately successful at this tournament.

The Kiwis will enter the match with 6 consecutive wins, including three straight against the mighty Aussies in February. They are the number 3 ODI side in the world and will present a hefty challenge to the West Indies.

When the West Indies bat.

Chris Gayle's horrible run of form continued against Australia. He looked out of sorts and gave his wicket away playing a terrible shot. If runs don't start flowing off his bat soon then the Windies will be in real trouble. Chanderpaul failed as well against the Australians, although he got a bad lbw decision. Ronnie Sarwan played as if he has regained his form, only to slap a full toss straight to mid on, while Marlon Samuels belied his recent good form by losing his wicket to an atrocious shot. At least one of these four batsmen has to get a big score if the West Indies are to put up a big total. Brian Lara is still capable of match winning performances but he needs someone else to bat with him. Denesh Ramdin's aggressive 52 was a bright spot in the loss to Australia. His batting will add depth to the line up.

New Zealand's most dangerous bowler is the super fast Shane Bond. He owns an ODI bowling average of under 20 and recently broke teammate Lou Vincent's wrist with an express delivery in a net session. If Gayle and Chanderpaul can see him off then the battle would be half won. The other main pace options for captain Stephen Fleming are left armer James Franklin and Michael Mason. Both really are medium pacers and rely on landing the ball on a good line and length. Franklin could be dangerous with the old ball if he gets it to reverse swing. Daniel Vettori will play a key role for New Zealand. The left arm spinner is a master of varying his flight, speed and length and will use guile more than any extravagant turn to deceive opposing batsmen. He has given the West Indies trouble in the past and should be a handful in the middle overs.

When New Zealand bat.

With Lou Vincent's wrist being broken, the Kiwis will be without the services of their regular opener. Regular number 3 Ross Taylor is also expected to be out of this match with a hamstring strain. Those two key injuries mean that Peter Fulton, a regular middle order bat, will open the innings with captain Fleming. Recently flown in Hamish Marshall will bat at three. Fulton and Marchall are both accomplished players, but the unfamiliarity of their positions at this crucial junction could be an avenue for Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor to make early inroads. Early wickets will be key for the Windies because the Kiwis batting is probably the deepest in the tournament. Fleming is a big bat by any standard, while Craig McMillan and wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum recently destroyed the Aussie bowling in New Zealand. Even Franklin and Vettori have Test centuries under their belts. McCullum is the owner of the World Cup's fastest fifty courtesy of the beating he inflicted on Canada.

Outlook: The Windies followed their usual pattern against Australia by asking them to bat first. 322 runs later, that tactic may have to be rethinked. New Zealand is every bit as imposing a batting side as is Australia, so if he has the choice, Lara might want to take first strike on a pitch that's good for batting. New Zealand will be the favourites, but if Powell and Taylor can get early wickets, then the Windies might be able to put enough pressure on the Kiwis to limit them to a manageable score. Chris Gayle must come good with the bat though.

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