Windies make three changes for One-Day

HARARE: Fidel Edwards could play his first One-Day International for West Indies against Zimbabwe in the third One-Day International at the Harare Sports Club today.`West Indies, aiming to restore pride, has named 12 players from which the final 11 will be selected prior to the start of the match. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul and wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh, Jr have been omitted from the side that lost the second ODI and Edwards, fellow fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, and wicketkeeper/batsman Ridley Jacobs have been added. The five-match series stands tied at 1-1, after West Indies won the opening contest by 51 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method on Saturday, and Zimbabwe prevailed in the second match by six wickets on Sunday.

The West Indies’ bowling has not really been put to the test in the two completed ODIs. In the first, rain brought an early end to the match, and in the second, they could hardly have expected to defend such a modest target. This may prompt the tour selectors to stick with the policy of three frontline fast bowlers with Wavell Hinds’ medium-pace swingers, along with the off-spin darts of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Ricardo Powell to supplement the attack. If they stick with this policy, it may be decided that Edwards will be a luxury, but if they choose to shorten the batting, that let them down in the second ODI, and strengthen the bowling, then Edwards could find himself part of a four-pronged pace attack. West Indies’ batting has found it hard to shake “the monkey” off their back. Having scored an imposing 347 for six from 50 overs in the first ODI, the batting again betrayed the side in the second ODI when the tourists were bowled out for 125 in 42.3 overs.

There are not many options for West Indies. The only alternative is already on the cards with the experienced Jacobs returning for Baugh. Other than this change, Brian Lara and his fellow batsmen will have to find the same formula that worked last Saturday and take charge of a disciplined, if not menacing Zimbabwe bowling attack. The Zimbabweans have named an unchanged side for the match. They will be looking to their bowlers to keep a lid on the West Indies batting and, similar to their opponents, for their batting to show more solidity.

Teams:  ZIMBABWE: Heath Streak (capt), Tatenda Taibu (vice-capt), Vusimuzi Sibanda, Trevor Gripper, Mark Vermeulen, Craig Wishart, Stuart Matsikenyeri,Andy Blignaut, Sean Ervine, Ray Price, Gary Brent.
WEST INDIES (from): Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards.
Umpires: Asoka de Silva and Kevin Barbour. TV replays: Ian Robinson.
Match referee: Gundappa Viswanath.