Ten days ago, after his team's four-wicket defeat by Zimbabwe, Carl Hooper
shrugged his shoulders and accused his team of putting their tails between
their legs and running for cover. He hoped that they would qualify, but he
acknowledged that he was pushing his natural optimism to the limit.
Three matches later, West Indies scrapped into the final with hosts Sri
Lanka and, although clear underdogs, know that they are one game away from
saving face on an otherwise disastrous tour. It would hardly paper over the
cracks, but it would make the homeward bound trip a whole lot heartier.
"It's been a very hard tour for us and we have not got anything to show for
it," said Hooper. "The Test series is what we came for and that was very
disappointing. However, if we can win the one-day series, at least that
would give us something positive to go home with."
He did not deny the dominance of the Sri Lankans during the past few weeks,
but added: "They will be very confident after their win on Saturday and
having beaten us so handsomely in the Test series, but I have a strong
belief that we can cause an upset. We are yet to play our best cricket on
the tour."
Although West Indies will be without the prolific Brian Lara, they have been
boosted by the return to form of openers Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle. With
Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan also in good touch and the dangerous Ricardo
Powell lurking in the middle order, they certainly have some firepower
should they click in unison.
In the bowling department too, things are starting to gel, with new ball
bowlers Pedro Collins and Corey Colleymore performing consistently, rookie
fast bowler Jermaine Lawson being impressive and new-boy medium pacer Darryl
Brown steady.
West Indies will, however, have to decide just how much spin they need on a
notoriously slow bowler friendly surface. With off-breaks from Hooper, Gayle
and Marlon Samuels, plus the part-time left-arm orthodox of Ryan Hinds, Neil
McGarrell, the only specialist spinner in the squad, appears an unlikely
starter.
Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya and coach Dav Whatmore both
acknowledged their status as favourites and the real threat posed by a West
Indies side hungry for redemption.
"After winning in Kandy and getting to the finals, the confidence is high,"
said Jayasuriya. "But they are still a threat with some players in good
form, including Gayle, Ganga and Hooper. We can't take it lightly and I
expect it to be a tough game tomorrow."
Whatmore added: "When you start a game, the worst possible scenario possible
is to think you are playing a weak side. You can't take any team lightly,
particularly in the final."
He was worried the loss of Lara could be a catalyst for the West Indies:
"Lara will be missed, there is no doubt about that, but we still have to
been on guard, because often in a big match the other players can respond
well to the loss of a key player."
Sri Lanka's batting poses few dilemmas, but the make-up of the bowling
attack is less easy and they are yet to decide on whether to play fast
bowling all-rounder Suresh Perera at number seven or leg-spinner Upul
Chandana.
Perera is favourite, mainly because of his batting rather than his bowling,
which has been wayward. Chandana has not bowled well either, too frequently
dropping short, but with plenty of part-time spinning options amongst the
batsmen, Perera would add more to the team as a whole, especially with his
extra capability with the bat.
Charitha Buddika Fernando deserves a place having out-bowled Nuwan Zoysa on
Saturday, but Jayasuriya wants experience and said Zoysa would play
alongside Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lanka (likely):
Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela
Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Suresh Perera, Muttiah
Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan
West Indies (likely):
Carl Hooper (capt), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon
Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Corey Colleymore, Pedro Collins, Ricardo Powell,
Daren Brown, Ryan Hinds