Shiv Chanderpaul - FILE
napier, cmc
IN WHAT HAS become a depressingly familiar experience for the West Indies in recent years, the tourists go into the fourth One-Day International against New Zealand tomorrow (this evening Caribbean time) with only pride and the hope of avoiding yet another series whitewash as motivation.
Saturday's 21-run victory under lights at Jade Stadium in Christ-church has given the home side an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match duel, and their skipper, Stephen Fleming, has made no secret of his desire to keep the pressure on the Caribbean squad to ensure that his team has the psychological edge going into the three-Test series.
Having been at the helm six years ago when the Black Caps swept all five ODIs and both Tests against the West Indies on their last tour here, Fleming is especially keen to emphasise his team's dominance over the opposition.
NEW PLAYERS
Yet in keeping with the New Zealand selectors' policy of rotating players to avoid them suffering from overwork, the swift series triumph has afforded them the luxury of introducing two players who have not previously featured in this campaign against Shivnarine Chander-paul's men.
Opening batsman Jamie How, who played in the first two one-dayers in Wellington and Queenstown, is rested, as is left-arm seamer James Franklin, who shared the new ball with tearaway paceman Shane Bond in all three victories of the series so far.
Their places have gone to two players with contrasting careers.
Kyle Mills, a fast-medium bowler from Auckland who is no complete rabbit with the bat, returns from injury to add to his tally of 53 ODIs, while exciting young Central Districts batsman Ross Taylor gets the opportunity that many experts here have been clamouring for, especially after he scored a half-century in the domestic limited-overs final against Canterbury just before the start of the West Indies tour.
FUMING COACH
West Indies head coach Bennett King was left fuming after his team failed to keep the series alive after a flying start in pursuit of a target of 277 in the third match, and it remains to be seen if his stern words will have any impact on the side for the all-day encounter at McLean Park, one of the more modest of New Zealand's international venues.
Yet even if the tourists end an abysmal run of just two victories in 21 ODIs and at least avoid a clean sweep, King is acutely aware that the West Indies are becoming past masters of playing well when it doesn't really matter.
TEAMS: New Zealand (from) - Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Hamish Marshall, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Shane Bond, Michael Mason, Jeetan Patel.
\West Indies (from) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Rawl Lewis, Ian Bradshaw, Fidel Edwards, Deighton Butler, Jerome Taylor.
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 