Teams start afresh for one-dayers
Australia won the Test series, West Indies won the Twenty20 (or rather Eleven11) and now it's time for the final leg of the tour - a five-match ODI series
Match facts
![]()
| ||
Start time 09:30 (local), 13:30 (GMT)
The Big Picture
Australia won the Test series, West Indies won the Twenty20 (or rather Eleven11) and now it's time for the final leg of the tour - a five-match ODI series. Australia are the world champions but things were different then: Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist were opening, Glenn McGrath was the strike bowler and Brad Hogg had the spin position in reliable hands. Ricky Ponting doesn't have any of those men on hand in the Caribbean and as much as anything the series will act as a testing ground for a number of new faces. For West Indies, who challenged Australia in the Tests, these five matches provide an opportunity to assess whether their limited-overs prospects are also looking positive.ODI form guide
West Indies - NWWLL (most recent first)Australia - LLLWW
Team news
Chris Gayle played the third Test but did not risk his nagging groin injury by taking part in the Twenty20, Ramnaresh Sarwan also sat out of the short game with a groin problem and Shivnarine Chanderpaul rested his sore leg. Gayle will lead the team but a decision on the other two will be left until the morning of the match. Xavier Marshall blasted Australia's new-ball bowlers in the Twenty20 with 36 from 15 deliveries and if he gets going with Gayle at the top of the order Australia will be under severe early pressure.Watch out for ...
Dwayne Bravo His Twenty20 innings was overshadowed by Marshall's top-order fireworks but Bravo's unbeaten 28 from 15 balls was also highly entertaining. Always a powerful striker, Bravo has now added extra patience to his game and he will be an important middle-order player regardless of whether West Indies get away to a flyer or lose early wickets. His medium-pace bowling is equally vital and he has a happy knack of breaking through when the strike bowlers are failing.Weather
There was a heavy shower at the ground on Monday afternoon that may affect the start time on Tuesday. After both teams had trained, strong winds knocked over some scaffolding in front of one of the stands and the pitch area, while covered, was full of puddles. A cloudy day is predicted for Tuesday.Stats and trivia
If ever there was a venue to give West Indies a confident start to a series, the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent must be it. They have lost only two of the 16 ODIs played at the ground, although their most recent game was one of those defeats, at the hands of Pakistan. Australia have lost both their one-day internationals at the venue.Quotes
"Do not forget that we are playing against the number one team in the world but from the next game we're going to be at full strength. Chris, Sarwan, Shiv, everyone will be ready to go."Bravo, who led West Indies to victory in the Twenty20 international
Ponting believes Australia should get up in the five-match contest
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo