West Indies should win handily

What a difference a week makes! Last week by this time, many, myself included, had suggested that the West Indies team at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup would possibly struggle to get to the Super Six stage of the competition. The team's main rivals for the three coveted spots from Pool B, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa, were rated higher than the West Indies. Then, surprisingly for some people but not for me, the West Indies beat South Africa in that first game and as they say in America - "The s... hit the fan!" For the West Indies, anything is now possible, even a place in the final.

Their opponents on Thursday, New Zealand, are already in trouble, since they seem to have chosen, understandably one may add in the light of their history on tours, not to go to Kenya, thus forfeiting four points. But now, perhaps they might actually decide to go back on that decision and play in Kenya, come hell or high water, or even heavy incendiaries. The World Cup is that important.

With their loss to Sri Lanka, incidentally my second choice (after the West Indies, of course) to win the whole thing, and the team that I expect to give the West Indies the hardest time, New Zealand would now have to beat all teams in their remaining pool matches to advance. This includes the West Indies, Canada, Bangladesh, South Africa and maybe Kenya. Even if they beat them all, New Zealand would still have to have a tremendous net run-rate to advance. With this being the case, the West Indies must be smiling to themselves.

Many people suggest that the West Indies won the game against South Africa almost only because of Brian Lara's stupendous 116. I beg to disagree. Yes, the innings was truly great, but then again, Lara is great, so one should expect that from him; he was only doing his job well, nothing more.

I was more impressed with the maturity shown by Ricardo Powell and Ramnaresh Sarwan at the end of the innings, when the West Indies really needed very quick runs. They put on 63 for the unfinished sixth wicket to get the West Indies to 278 - Powell getting 40 from 18 deliveries and Sarwan making 32 from 15 deliveries. Tremendous stuff. These two, along with Chris Gayle, who failed in the first game, will be expected to carry the battle to New Zealand. The scene is truly set for their youthful confidence and exuberance to shine through now that the West Indies have won that first game.

New Zealand's bowling is a bit trickier than South Africa's, with Chris Harris, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Nathan Astle bowling 'dobblers', slower deliveries that the West Indies would not like. The West Indies will have to be very patient indeed.

The West Indies bowling too was acceptable, as both 'spinners' Carl Hooper and Chris Gayle, while giving away over six runs per over each, at least got four wickets between them. Much will depend on them again.

New Zealand will come out with a flurry of plans and hopes. They now have nothing to lose and much to gain. Look out for Stephen Fleming, a born fighter, and Craig McMillan, who somehow reminds me of a boxer, to come out punching and hitting, hoping to demoralize the West Indies. Lara, his captain Carl Hooper and the other veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul will have to guide the youth in this second game more than the first, but that said the West Indies should win handily.