NatWest one-day series : Morale battle

London-The West Indies return to Lord's today for their first match against England since their shock defeat in the second Test at the same venue just over a week ago with their shaken confidence in need of urgent restoration.

That result, triggered by their incredible 54 all-out, undermined the superiority they had established in their innings victory in the first Test and their first innings lead of 133 in the second.

It was followed by another deflating loss, their first in either Tests or One-Day Internationals to Zimbabwe, at Bristol on Thursday to open the triangular One-Day series that will occupy the next fortnight before the resumption of the Tests on August 3.

In a tournament in which each team play the others three times, leading to the final between the two leaders, also at Lord's on July 22, another setback today would not be terminal for the West Indies. But it is critical for morale.

Another efficient Zimbabwean triumph in the second match at the Oval yesterday, over England, earned them a significant headstart. It has put early pressure on the other two and enhanced the value of today's contest.

The West Indies were below strength, and below par, on Thursday.

Sherwin Campbell, back in Barbados for the birth of his second child, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, giving his strained right forearm muscle time to recover, were absent from the batting.

Courtney Walsh was favouring the aches and pains that were the natural consequence of 80.5 overs by a 37-year-old fast bowler in the first two Tests and was humanely rested.

Between them, it was 374 matches worth of experience missing and, in the circumstances, the temptation must have been strong to recall both Chanderpaul and Walsh to duty today.

It would have been a risk and has been resisted.

Campbell, the established opener with 77 One-Day Internationals to his name, predictably replaces Adrian Griffith, but the only other change is Corey Collymore for Reon King.

It is Collymore's first major match of the tour and only his fourth international.

He can hardly be more wayward than King, Franklyn Rose and Nixon McLean, the three main fast bowlers, were against Zimbabwe on Thursday.

King's nine overs cost 43, Rose's ten went for 50 and McLean was the most expensive, 63 off his nine.

Only Merv Dillon, included only as a One-Day bowler, exerted any control with 35 runs off his nine overs.

King's form, and self-confidence, have steadily declined. He has lacked the rhythm on which he depends for his pace and control and which have made him the clear first-choice once the names of Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were written down.

It is the first match of any kind he has missed since establishing himself on the tour of New Zealand in December and January.

A telling clue to his problems is the fact that he has started overstepping for no-balls, a handicap that never previously bothered him.

He was twice warned for running on the pitch in the Lord's Test and several times he has been so out of step he has aborted his run-up.

It is an urgent job for coach Roger Harper and his accomplices to work on. Such obvious potential cannot be allowed to wither.

Given the success of Paul Strang's leg-spin in Zimbabwe's victory over England at the Oval yesterday '10-0-36-3 ' and the containing job done both there and at Bristol by the left-arm spinners Dirk Viljoen and Grant Flower, there was surely a case for the inclusion of Mahendra Nagamotoo today.

Old habits die hard and the mindset favouring pace remains.

To besides, Lord's is a much smaller ground than the Oval and has been more favourable to seam and swing than spin this season.

In the two Tests against Zimbabwe and the West Indies only one of the 68 wickets has been taken by a spinner, leg-spinner Brian Murphy for Zimbabwe.

Harper has bemoaned the inconsistency of the bowlers, a point that needs no elaboration.

It is not to say that Rose and McLean lack experience. Both have been West Indies players for more than three years and both have played county cricket. They ought to be contributing with more regularity.

Inconsistency has also been an unwanted feature of the batting, no more starkly revealed that in the Lord's Test.

The West Indies fell 20 runs or so short of what they should have compiled in Bristol on Thursday, in spite of a favourable start.

With Walsh missing, they are runs that were essential and are likely to be again today.

West Indies-Jimmy Adams (captain), Sherwin Campbell, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Franklyn Rose, Nixon McLean, Merv Dillon and Corey Collymore.

England-Alec Stewart (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Graeme Hick, Graham Thorpe, Matthew Maynard, Andy Flintoff, Mark Ealham, Robert Croft, Andy Caddick, Darren Gough, Alan Mullally, Vikram Solanki, Paul Franks and Craig White.